Naruto, The Dark Flash
by KenzoXShuyita
Summary: Of the 10,000 players in the most anticipated game of the year, Naruto is the only player given the gift of chakra. However, everything quickly goes down to hell when instead of being the game that everyone was expecting...all players receive something they never asked for. Everyone's life is at stake, and there are 100 floors to complete. Strong/Smart Naruto. Naruto/Silica Pairing
1. Prologue: This is my Way!

A/N: This is my first fanfiction story! Please, don't flame…and leave reviews that will help me write a better story. Constructive criticism is always welcome! And of course, this is a crossover between Naruto and Sword Art Online.

Naruto will be the main character and he will have the ability of chakra. I'll try not to make him too overpowered, but he is not going to be stupid like in canon. Kirito was overpowered with his dual blades. Seriously? Can handle the Gleam Eyes boss by himself?

Oh yea! Why were there only 10,000 players? Cost? I don't know if that's the reason but on all Final Fantasy games, the majority of every game's sells were within the first week of release. So, 10,000 only seems kind of small, or to me, ridiculously small. So throughout this story, I'm going to be tweaking a few facts to make the story seem more realistic. Anyways, I'm ranting now.

*Edited*

Disclaimer: I do not own **Naruto** or **Sword Art Online**.

**Naruto, the Dark Flash**

**Prologue:**

Blue cerulean eyes flicked left to right across a page on a magazine. The first VRMMO game was being released within a few weeks, and some tips and guides were being shown on the pages. The player used an avatar in the virtual world. He or she can choose what kind of sword one wants to use. With this weapon, the player can use a set of skills that diverges based on the weapon. If further help is needed, a guidebook can be consulted or information can be looked up online. If inside information is requested in game, look for informants. The final message explained sword skills, leveling up, EXP, and quests.

Putting the magazine down and leaning back on his swiveling chair, he closed his eyes and relaxed for a moment, imagining himself fighting monsters and bosses, completing quests and slaying demons, and maybe even becoming the best in the game. After all, if he can apply real world skills into the game, and even if they were not all sword related skills, he should be fine. His mother, Kushina, was an expert at swordplay and kendo, so Naruto was learning from the best at a young age. However, unlike his mother, who used a single kendo blade, Naruto used two, although one was extremely short with a hilt, almost the size of a dagger. His grandfather, Hiruzen, was called the Professor for his knowledge and expertise in multiple styles of martial arts. In fact, in his prime, he was called the God of Fighting. His grandfather was also a serious slave driver in training. Naruto shuddered for a moment remembering when he was forced to train "lightly", not to mention the difficult sets and routines. And finally, his father, Minato, was also a sword fighter, only slightly better than his wife, although much faster. Naruto's mother had the skill in swordplay, but his father had absurdly fast reactions and ridiculous speed, which his son inherited.

Naruto opened his eyes and scratched the back of his spiky blonde hair, chuckling sheepishly for a moment. _There's no way I can become the best. There are a thousand beta players that are going to be there. They probably know all the other grinding spots and places to farm up EXP, while I'm still trying to figure out how to use a sword skill. Gah, I'm thinking too much. Homework it is, then. _

He flicked on the lamp and opened a random page in his novel and began reading.

XShuyaX

(Time Skip: 6 weeks later)

_Let's go over this one more time. I got the gear, all the information I probably need for the game, how to log in, EXP…whatever let's just get on. Who needs to think? It's a game, for Kami's sake! _Naruto placed the NerveGear on his head and flopped himself onto bed.

"Ahh…let's see. Just a few more seconds. Ok…" He breathed out slowly. _Let's do this! _

"Link…START!" Suddenly, the world in front of Naruto became completely white. All the updates and translators were placed.

"Please choose a name." _Well, that's not hard. Not like my name is common. In fact, I always thought I was the only one with that name._

"Naruto. Yes, I accept."

"You have no previous data as a beta player. Please make configurations to your avatar." _Gahhh! Let me just play the game! _And so, Naruto rushed through the character configurations, making the avatar an orange hair teen that was decently tall. The avatar had average looks with green eyes. _Who cares, just go!_

"Welcome to Sword Art Online!" _Hell yeah!_

"This disk has a special configuration. Please wait a moment." _What…the hell? Special configuration?_

"Only one of the ten thousand disks sold received this configuration. I will explain to you while the updates take place. You, the player, will use a different kind of energy called chakra. Instead of mana, which every other player will use, chakra is the life force mixed with physical energies." An identical replica of my avatar appeared. He blew fire out of his mouth, switched places with another object, and multiple other insane things that were simply impossible. Naruto's reason for excitement was quite obvious. After ten minutes, the patches were complete and Naruto was thrust into the world of Sword Art Online.

XShuyaX

(Time Skip: Two hours)

Quickly rushing through the NPC's and guidebook offered to him, Naruto ran out of the Town of Beginnings and began farming immediately in the Field of Beginnings, but he did appreciate the attention put to the details in the world. Plenty of weak hog-looking things later, he was halfway to level 2 and already understood how to use his sword skills. In the town, Naruto bought a short dagger with a hilt on both sides to block possible blows, and a long sword to use on the other hand. The game mechanics didn't let him use two sword skills at once, and there were no dual wield abilities, so Naruto made due with basic swordplay techniques.

"OK, that's enough practice. Let's experiment." Scouting out the area, our blonde protagonist spotted a slightly large boar, nearly twice the size of the average boar. The bar above its head stated _Level 2_, but who cares. Naruto certainly didn't. _Let's see. During the introduction to the use of chakra, I believe the avatar switched places with an object?_ He gripped his dagger and aimed it at the head of the boar while preparing the sword skill **Vertical**. The sword began to glow a bright red, indicating the skill was ready for use. Quickly throwing the dagger at the head of the boar, Naruto jumped and began slashing down. When the boar saw the dagger, it was too late. The small dagger was suddenly replaced with a blonde haired teen already in mid swing.

"Hell yeah! That was awesome!" _Holy crap, that boar gave me almost 100 exp. Haha, I guess only another four hundred exp to go. Now…where are some of these boars?_ A slightly sadistic grin plastered itself onto Naruto's face. "This is gonna be fuuuun."

XShuyaX

(Time Skip: 5 Hours)

Already a quarter way to level 3, Naruto stopped to sit down. His leveling up slowed down drastically when he reached _Level 2_, so he assumed that EXP gain was relative to the monster level. It didn't help that the amount of EXP required to level up increased every level.

Naruto began thinking about his special energy called chakra. It had drawbacks. It was definitely better than the energy that the other players used, but it required a portion of Naruto's health every time chakra was used. Naruto quickly deduced that he would die if he used too much chakra. Wondering if he could increase his chakra capacity, multiple other questions engaged his mind. These thoughts plagued the blonde's mind for a few minutes. Realizing he can find more information elsewhere, he searched through his menu and looked through his stats.

Character: Naruto

Stats:

Strength: 5(+3)

Defense: 5(+3)

Agility: 10(+2)

Intelligence: 11(+2)

Luck: 30(+0)

Chakra Pool: 2/?

Chakra Control: 32/1000

_What the hell is with my luck? Well, I guess that explains why I always beat my parents at Poker even without knowing the game. Whatever gets me free money. _Naruto smiled, but immediately dropped it when he saw his chakra pool. _Damn, that's tiny. Well, at least it'll get larger. Let's see, what else is there? _

Abilities:

Horizontal: 7/1000

Vertical: 13/1000

Kawamiri no Jutsu: 30/1000

Henge: 0/1000

Bunshin no Jutsu: 0/1000

?: 0/1000

?: 0/1000

?: 0/1000

_And what the hell is a henge? Or a bunshin? Henge…sounds like a…Neolithic standing stone. What the hell am I supposed to use a Neolithic standing stone for? Bunshin? Well, at least I know what that means…I think._

Naruto stood up, patting off imaginary dust off his black pants. _I wish they had orange ones._

"Henge no Jutsu!" A cloud of smoke appeared, preventing Naruto from being seen. Slowly, the wind blew the smoke away, and Naruto was no longer seen. Instead…

"WHY THE HELL DO I LOOK LIKE MY DAD! GET IT OFF ME. GET IT OFFA MAH BODY! HENGE NO JUTSU!" Another cloud of smoke appeared, and Naruto was once again in his avatar body. _That was…scary. But that's actually a really useful technique in a way…is what my godfather would say. He would probably use it to become a girl and check them out in the dressing rooms or something. _A cold shiver went through Naruto.

"Do I have to say the technique, or can I mentally say it? Test time!" _Bunshin no Jutsu!_ Another Naruto appeared, although quite hazy and sickly looking. The original stared at it for a moment. Then, he punched the copy's face. The fist went straight through, and the copy dispersed into the air. If perfected, Naruto realized it was a perfect jutsu, or technique, to distract monsters. They would go after the illusions while the real Naruto could throw his dagger at the back of the monster, replace himself with the dagger, and strike down with** Vertical**.

During Naruto's inquiry and ponderings of his new abilities, his body began to glow and was teleported back to the Town of Beginnings.

XShuyaX

About 10,000 people crowded together into a plaza, despite being a large plaza, was not Naruto's idea of fun. He was not claustrophobic, but he did appreciate his space, thank you very much. A continuous stream of players flashed into the already cramped plaza, leaving Naruto with only a few feet of space surrounded by thousands of people.

People were speaking nervously and with confusion.

"What's going on?"

"What's happening? How did we teleport back here?"

"Why are we back in the Town of Beginning?"

These questions were constantly asked around Naruto. He stayed silent, assuming something would answer these questions and others that were in his head. So he waited with his arms crossed. Suddenly, the crowd's voices got louder as the sky became darker and hexagonal shapes appeared on the walls and ceiling of the 1st floor. A blood-like liquid seeped through the edges, covering the ceiling and walls. Now every person was worried.

"**Welcome to my world.**" A booming voice resounded throughout the whole plaza, silencing the rest of the crowd. A large, hooded figure appeared, his face unseen by the darkness. His arms were spread out, as if to show everyone the world.

"**My name is Kayaba Akihiko. I am the only person who can control this world."**

And why should Naruto care about that? He was Naruto!

"**I think most of you have discovered the fact that the [Log Out] button has disappeared from the main menu. This is not a bug; it is a feature of Sword Art Online."**

OK, maybe Naruto didn't know that. He smiled sheepishly and began scratching the back of his head.

"**Until you get to the top of this castle, you will not be able to log out. So, I have added a small gift to your inventory." **

_What! What about my mom and dad! Old man! Pervy godfather? Everyone!?_ But everyone still opened their inventory, Naruto included. _A mirror? That's a strange gift._ Suddenly, his body – no, every player's body began to glow. When the glow subsided, every person had a differently shape and face. Only a few seconds later, Naruto realized this was his own body when he saw himself on the mirror that he was holding on his hand. Three whisker marks on each cheek. Blue cerulean orbs. Blond, spiky hair. This was his body.

Naruto looked around himself, and to his disgust, plenty of males were dressed in female clothing. _Ugh…that's just such a wrong image._

The cross gendered guys were horrendous to look at. Naruto may not have his grandfather's perverted nature, but he had a healthy respect for the female body. However, the girls in guys clothing that was too large for them, he found somewhat cute. _Kawaii…_

"**Also, the disruption or dismantling of the Nerve Gear from the outside is strictly forbidden. If these things are attempted…the signal sensors in your Nerve Gear will emit a strong electromagnetic pulse, destroying your brain and stopping all of your basic functions."**

Naruto's face paled and his blood went cold at the last statement. How lucky was it that his mom didn't take off the Nerve Gear? She almost always forced him off games, even if it was summer, telling him to play sports, or if worse, for him to have a sword fight against her.

Naruto looked around, studying every face.

Everyone person was showing signs of a nervous breakdown of sorts. Not a single person seemed calm.

"**You will all most probably wondering, 'Why?' Why would I – the developer of both the Nerve Gear and SAO, Kayaba Akihiko – do all this? My goals has already been realized. **

Naruto was shaking his head. _This guy's head has a couple screws missing in his head._

"**None of these is the reason I am doing this. Not only that, but now for me, there is no longer a reason or a purpose in doing this. The reason is because…this situation itself was my purpose in doing this. To create and watch this world is the only reason I have created the Nerve Gear and SAO. And now, everything has been realized. Now…I have finished the official tutorial for SAO. Players- I wish you luck."**

"…"

_Wish us luck? Are you kidding me? You're killing innocent lives that just wanted to play a game._

Suddenly, like a balloon that couldn't handle any more air, the pressure reached its breaking point and burst. Everyone tried to make their voices heard, as if someone outside the game could hear them.

"WHAT THE HELL!?"

"GET US OUT OF HERE!"

"SOMEONE SAVE ME!"

These truly desperate calls for help struck something deep inside of Naruto. If Kayaba had done this as a joke, or even if he was serious, Naruto probably would've continued on his way and done his best to survive by himself. But when he heard everyone crying out as loud as possible, desperate for aid, help, assistance, anything…he wanted to do something.

_If he really allowed the deaths of at least 200 people…_

At this moment, a spark started a small fire that began to burn inside of Naruto's heart. His compassionate and passionate side. His protective side. And when the fire begins to burn, it only gets larger until it warms all others.

…_then I'll-_

"-become the best and save everyone," finishing his statement with such passion and finality, that if anyone had heard him, their worries and sadness would have been washed away. At this moment, Naruto decided that he would become the best. He would become the pillar of hope for the others. Nothing would stop him. No person. No monster. Nothing would stand in his way to end this death trap that 10,000 people were jailed in.

***Will of Fire Achieved! Obtained: Special Ability: Hear My Roar: 0/9**

Without hesitation, Naruto used both upgrades on **Hear My Roar** without looking at the description. Then, he turned around and walked away from the pitiful creator of the game that suddenly wasn't a game anymore.

"I'll save everyone…no matter what."

XShuyaX

(Time Skip: 4 Hours)

Naruto rushed past the fields, slashing and hacking through boars, regardless of level. After about an hour of constant running and farming, he reached a large forest. Without thoughts, he ran in and continued hacking through monsters, regardless of the fact they were a level 3, which only increased the speed he leveled up. Within another hour, he reached level 3, but didn't stop to upgrade any of his stats. Another two hours later, he reached a small village of sorts deep within the forest.

"That's…strange. A village deep inside of forest filled with monsters. It's probably a safe zone." He walked into the village, and small feeling of content entered his body. He sheathed his blade. Sitting down on a bench somewhere in the middle of the village, Naruto finally took the time to open in menu and go through his stats.

Character: Naruto

Stats:

Strength: 7(+3)

Defense: 7(+3)

Agility: 14(+2)

Intelligence: 13(+2)

Luck: 40(+0)

Chakra Pool: 300/?

Chakra Control: 14/1000

Sword: 85/1000

Dagger: 72/1000

***Congratulations. Player has unlocked new ability: 'Kage Bunshin no Jutsu'***

Naruto's eye began to twitch. _Why would my control go down, and why did my chakra capacity just shoot through the roof? It's obvious the two are interrelated negatively, but why would my chakra just shoot through the roof? Also, the Sword and Dagger stats weren't there the last time I checked. Why are they so high? Are these based on real world assessments?_

_Also, is __**Hear My Roar**__ the reason for my chakra boost? But, what is it?_

Naruto went through each of his abilities and read each description. For abilities like **Vertical** and **Horizontal**, they were quite self-explanatory. However, the **Henge**, **Bunshin**, and **Kawamiri **had a bit more detail.

Finally, when Naruto reached **Hear my Roar**, he was surprised when he read the description.

"This player has the burden of chakra, which requires life force and physical energies. However, with an absurd amount of determination to protect and defend, limits can be broken. These chakra limits were broken at the moment when the player's determination to protect was assessed and accepted.  
Can only be unlocked by: **Will of Fire.**"

Abilities:

Horizontal: 27/1000

Vertical: 52/1000

Kawamiri no Jutsu: 39/1000

Henge: 1/1000

Bunshin no Jutsu: 1/1000

Kage Bunshin no Jutsu: 0/1000

?: 0/1000

?: 0/1000

Naruto pressed his new ability 'Kage Bunshin no Jutsu' to see the description.

"Shadow Clone Technique. Unlike its predecessor, the Clone Technique (Bunshin no Jutsu), the Shadow Clone are actual copies of the original. However, because of this, the cost of chakra is absurdly high, due to original splitting his or her chakra with the clone. According to the history of the Elemental Nations, only the elite ninjas were able to use this ability without suffering chakra exhaustion. The secret to this technique is not only coordinating attacks, but that all memories of the clones return to the original.  
Can only be unlocked by: **Hear my Roar 1/9."**

"Well, that's nice. So…I can make my clones read books and study things for me? And they can train my sword skills, too. I wonder if my clone could practice the sword skills and send its experience to me?" With this thought in mind, Naruto got off the bench and walked around the village, enjoying the oriental setting of the houses. He sold his sword and bought a slight stronger one with the Col he looted from monsters. None of his other equipment and gear were showing signs of wearing out, so he didn't buy any other gear items. However, he bought plenty of potions. According to Naruto: "Better safe than sorry, 'ttebayo."

After a few minutes of mindless wandering in the village, Naruto heard crying. Quickly rushing to the sound, he opened a door to a house and saw a woman crying with a small, delicate girl on her lap, which he quickly assumed was her daughter. The girl was plainly sick. Ridiculously pale, extremely red cheeks, and excessive sweat on her face. She wouldn't have much time without help.

"Please…someone help my baby…"

"What can I do?" Naruto quickly asked. The mother's eyes shot up and glanced at Naruto. Suddenly, a golden question mark appeared on her head. _A quest. Well, this is certainly a dramatic way of doing it, Kayaba Akihiko._

"My daughter is ill," _Well, no shit, Sherlock. _"-and I need medicine, but it can only be found in the forest full of monsters. In fact, only type one of the monsters have it on its head, and it is extremely rare."

"What is it?" The blonde asked without a moment's hesitation. The women seemed taken aback for a moment before continuing.

"The _Little Nepents_ are sentient plant creatures that stalk around the forest. Their name belies their actual size and strength. Beware of getting caught and being eaten. but their head is a dead giveaway. The monster with a red flower on its head has the medicine, Little Nepent's Ovule. Please, retrieve the medicine so I can save my daughter!" Naruto nodded and walked away from the woman and her daughter.

_I will save her, regardless of whether she is truly alive or not. Because-_

"That's my way, 'ttebayo!"


	2. Chapter 1: The Quest and Meet the Beater

**Chapter 1: The Quest and Meet the Beater**

**A/N: **

**Thanks so much to all my reviewers, favorites, and followers. I was so scared when I posted the Prologue.**

**Merry Christmas…Eve! Well, I got this out a little earlier, but that also means I can finally relax for Christmas! **

**I really hope the first update was decent. I don't know, I thought it was good.**

**I'm really questioning whether Silica should be in the pairing. I don't know why, but I feel that either Lisbeth or Konno Yuuki should be in the Naruto pairing instead, even if Konno Yuuki never appeared in SAO. But hey, this is an alternate universe, remember? So, I'm going to make a poll for all the girls (except Sinon and Asuna).**

**Now, response to my reviews! **

**Mzr90: Thanks. I hope that this chapter is to your liking, but you're just going to have to wait for what I got…because what I got is…a secret.**

**Tama Saga: Maybe, I didn't think of it like that. I think that maybe I should edit the first chapter to make it 10,000. When you explained it to me like that, it seemed much more reasonable.**

** .bailey: Thanks! You have no idea how much better I felt when I saw your review. I was so nervous to read the reviews. I thought I was going to see flames. Then, I saw your review and all the others. I really appreciate it, man!**

**Pltrgst: Hmm…Naruto will not be mature, yet. He will have his moments, unlike canon, but he is still a fourteen year old. He isn't a ninja, so he isn't forced to mature at an accelerated rate, but he will mature quite quickly due to being stuck in SAO and his presumed 'responsibility'.**

**Andre 'Vortex' Prower: Thanks so much! I really appreciated the way you worded it. I thank you for your wishing for my future stories, and I wish you Merry Christmas and very happy Holidays.**

**Eniox27: I agree. Naruto will not be completely mature, or at least not yet. However, he will have his little moments of maturity. Thanks for the review. I'll try to focus on those moments a bit in my future chapters.**

**Skeiron: Ohh…I forgot about that. Thanks a lot for reminding me about that. The reaction timing, completely left my mind. The 100,000 people, never thought about it through the economy. Oh yea, and I saw the typo. Thanks for telling me! I think I might just change it to 10,000.**

**Well, here we go with the second update.**

**Disclaimer: I obviously don't own Naruto or the world of Sword Art Online or any characters. **

**Chapter 1:**

Slashing sounds could be heard inside of a dark forest. They were unceasing. Multiple monsters were walking towards the sound. In the epicenter of the circle of monsters was a black haired teen with a frail body that belied his actual agility and skill with a blade. His face had a girl's delicacy, but his eyes showed determination to survive in his current dilemma. He couldn't run and was currently surrounded by hundreds of the sentient _Little Nepents._

Kirito looked up at his health bar. It was yellow, indicating it was less than 60%. _40% closer to death. Only have 2 more potions left. I used 8 already._ He slashed at one of the monsters that jumped at him, and it dispersed into shattered blue polygons, making a broken glass effect. _I killed at least 40 and leveled up once, but it's not enough. I need more strength. My body is fatiguing and I'm running out of time. _He swung his blade again, using **Slant** to strike the neck of another monster that came too close to the swordsman. _There are at least another hundred of them here. Damn it, why did that idiot break the red fruit! He just released an odor that'll bring the monsters here from miles around. We could've easily gotten another quest item! I might not make it through this day because of him!_

His armor had lost durability points during the constant battle for surviving. It was beginning to show signs of wearing and breaking. All of Kirito's gear was the basic gear from the **Town of Beginnings**. His stats were more focused on agility and speed, so he knew there was no way that he could take any less damage from these monsters. He would need some sort of-

"**KAGE BUNSHIN NO JUTSU!"**

-miracle. _Huh? Shadow Clone Technique? What's going on?_

A loud 'poof' resounded throughout the forest. Sounds of slashing were heard behind the lines of _Little Nepents_, and the shattering glass effect quickly followed in large numbers. Kirito heard at least ten strikes in different areas. _Impossible, a group of beta players couldn't have gotten here that quickly!_ His intuition was proven correct when he saw two identical blonde haired teens jump over the surrounding monsters and land next to Kirito. They both gave him a foxy grin and a thumbs-up. Then, they jumped straight back into the fray.

"Uraaaaahhh!" Loud voices resounded from the multiple clones in the forest clearing, and the sound of shattering glass multiplied. Kirito joined into the battle, quickly getting over his shock. He managed to take another ten of the monsters before the identical blond clones took out the rest of the monster mob.

"Pant…pant…pant." Kirito bent over with his hands on his knees. A 'poof' sound was heard, and the clones all disappeared except one. The remaining blonde was a teen with unnaturally spiky hair, and deep, cerulean eyes. His face had a decent amount of baby fat, indicating he was in the early teens, so probably around the same age as Kirito. He wasn't very tall, but his muscles were lean. His armor and gear were dark red and black. His boots were made of leather and brown. All in all, this guy was also a beginner, but possibly a beta player.

"Are you alright?" Kirito managed to regain his breath by now. He got off his knees and stood up.

"I'm fine. I just had to get the quest item." His slight irritation at his newly deceased _comrade's _actions must have shown because the blonde's eyes narrowed slightly.

"What happened? I don't think you would be stupid enough to break the fruit on top of the monster's head." Kirito shook his head in denial.

"I was working with someone here and…" He looked off to the side, or more specifically, a bush. The blonde must have understood, because he remained silent and only nodded his head once, slowly.

"Well, I managed to accumulate two of the flower medicines, so we should go back to the village." Kirito was shocked. The luck and chance of two flowers appearing within only a hundred _Little Nepents_ was extremely lucky, if not impossible. _His __**Luck**__ must be off the charts!_

"If it's not too rude, what is your **Luck** stat?" The blonde only gave a smirk in response, showing off his short canine teeth, then turned and walked away. Kirito snorted slightly and followed him back to the village.

XShuyaX

(Time Skip: 2 hours)

"OK, that was weird. But in retrospect, I guess it was funny, too. The girl suddenly healed, then got sick all over again because I brought two of the quest items. Then the mother was like 'Oh, let me get you my only family heirloom'…twice." Naruto was walking and talking animatedly while Kirito remained content staying silent and listening, or ignoring the blonde. Kirito spent most of his time looking through his menu and checking his stats with his new blade from the quest, the **Anneal Blade**.

"Hey, Naruto?" The two players became acquainted during the walk back to the village. Kirito assumed that Naruto was a beta player, but Naruto quickly shot that down. Otherwise, their walk was silent.

"What's up?" Naruto's hands were on the back of his head as he looked up to the starry night sky.

"What level are you?" Kirito bluntly asked. Naruto dropped his hands to his sides. Then, he opened his menu while his eyes narrowed in concentration. Kirito seemed calm on the outside, but his foot was tapping on the stone floor, showing slight irritation at having to wait so long. After about another minute, Naruto's eyes locked onto Kirito's. Then, he grinned said -

"That's…a secret." Kirito sweatdropped at Naruto's strange demeanor. A thousand megawatt smile plastered itself onto Naruto's face while he cackled.

"What was the point of looking through your menu and making me wait?" Naruto was looking up at the sky again, grinning happily while whistling a seemingly wistful tune. Kirito waited for another thirty seconds until Naruto said -

"I'm sorry. Did you say something?"

Kirito's face became red with irritation. He clenched his fists one, then twice to release some stress. His patience was running thin and he was getting annoyed.

Unlike the one handed swordsman, a chibi Naruto was giving the victory sign in Naruto's mind. _Naruto -1, Kirito – 0._

"Nothing, I was just wondering. What are you going to do now? I'm going to go to the forest to farm EXP from monsters." Naruto dropped his grin when he heard this. He knew that the forest was exponentially harder during the night than during the day. Currently, it was the dead of night.

"Are you sure you don't want to wait until morning? There's nothing waiting out there except monsters to farm, which you can do in the day. Besides, you already got the blade you wanted, right?" Kirito shook his head and began to walk away.

"I need the EXP. You seem like you're a higher level than I am…even though you weren't a beta tester." _Oh, so it's just a competition. Well, he's not stupid, so he won't die. Probably won't trust anyone anymore either, especially not after the stunt the other guy played on him._

"Fine, suit yourself. Before you go though, add me to your friends list." Kirito paused, and then nodded his head. _Good, at least he trusts me, however small that trust may be. _Kirito opened his menu and pressed a few buttons. Naruto received a message a few seconds later.

***Kirito would like to be your friend. Do you Accept/Decline?***

Naruto pressed accept and smiled widely at Kirito. Kirito nodded stiffly, and then walked away back to the forest. As soon as Kirito was out of sight, Naruto whistled another tune and cracked his back.

"Geez, that guy is so uptight. He needs to live a little. I kind of wish he met my godfather…maybe not."

XShuyaX

Three weeks later, Naruto entered a new town. The first boss meeting was scheduled for during day. The assembled players would discuss the upcoming boss battle and make preparations.

He walked around the town filled with children, men, women, girls, and people of all ages, smiling and laughing. It just didn't feel right to him…that all of these people were trapped inside of this world, no, this death game. _But at least right now…they can smile and laugh, right?_

He ignored all the calls from merchants and shops and walked straight to the meeting. It was at a large, semicircular amphitheater with plenty of space to sit around. The blonde sat near the back and waited until the meeting began.

_I'm level 13 now. After two months of constant grinding, that's the result. Thank Kami that Kage Bunshin can use sword skills and abilities._

Although Naruto couldn't gain EXP from his clones, meaning that he, the original, had to last hit all the monsters and mobs, he could easily switch places with a clone when he noticed an enemy with low health. Also, the clones were able to practice his two new abilities that were previously question marks: Tree Walking and Water Walking. Both of them were chakra control exercises. They were meant to increase his chakra control and chakra pool. However, even with the use of the **Kage Bunshin**, the exercise was still ridiculously hard.

The description of the exercises explained that chakra could be applied to any part of the body, increasing the body's durability and strength. Using chakra on the body could increase the user's speed exponentially and power drastically. However, it takes a certain control that Naruto had not completely mastered, although he did experiment with the speed boost multiple times, only to end up slamming into a tree every time. _I'll only use it in large areas...hehehe. But the effort was definitely worth the rewards._

A loud clapping sound resounded throughout the amphitheater. Naruto opened his eyes and looked around. About fifty or sixty people were at the meeting. The person that clapped was a blue haired man with decent gear. He was smiling and seemed charismatic, but something about his seemed wrong to Naruto. Naruto's gut instincts were almost always right, but he ignored it for the time being and just waited for him to begin talking.

"Alright, let's get started here, people! Thank you for coming here today! My name is Diabel. I like to consider my "job" as Knight." Naruto smirked. The people at the meeting laughed a bit.

"Man, there is no "class" system in the game." Eventually, the laughter died down.

"Let's get serious here. Today, our party found the entrance to the boss' room at the top of this tower." At this, the atmosphere suddenly became heavier and more serious. Naruto narrowed his eyes.

"We need to beat the boss to reach the second floor, and then tell the people in the Town of Beginnings that this game _can_ be cleared. Everyone here shares his duty. Don't you all agree?" A few murmurs spread through the meeting, but people began to nod their heads, and someone began to clap. All the others quickly followed the man's example and began to clap as well, Naruto included, but he was slower and calmer.

_I agree with you…but there is still something about you that strikes me as wrong, Diabel…but I'll put my faith in you until you do something…_

With this, Diabel told the players to split into groups and parties, making it easier to fight during the boss battle. While he was explaining about the boss and his sentinels, Naruto sat still listening in his seat, ignoring the people grouping up. Within a minute, Naruto was quickly left by himself. Quite shocked at his lack of partners within such a short time, he looked around. He soon found his savior from soloing. He spotted Kirito with some hooded figure, clothed with a long cloak and rapier. Naruto walked over to Kirito and his partner, and the frail, black haired teen soon noticed the figure behind him.

"Hey Kirito, can I join your party?" Kirito and the hooded figure looked up to see him since he was on a higher step.

"Sure. We only have a two person party anyways." Kirito opened his menu and pressed a few buttons. A message appeared in front of Naruto. "There."

***The Player Kirito would like to invite you to their party. Do you Accept/Decline?***

Naruto pressed accept and sat down next to Kirito and the hooded figure, whose name was Asuna on the party.

"So, how is partying exactly beneficial? Diabel isn't the most informative person. He just said that partying will help against the minions and sentinels." Kirito nodded his head, despite the fact he probably knew the answer.

"Well, Naruto, partying is helpful because of _switching_." Naruto's face scrunched up and his eyes narrowed in confusion until he remembered a small detail he read in the guide book. _Thank you, Kage Bunshin!_

"What is switching?" the hooded figure asked. Naruto immediately noticed it was a girl from the feminine voice.

"Well…" Kirito was immediately interrupted when a person yelled and jumped on stage.

"Hold on just a moment! My name is Kibaou. I want to say something before we take on the boss…some of you need to apologize to the two thousand people who have died so far!"

_Two…thousand!_ Naruto was shocked. Two thousand people had died! He only saved twenty three players during his travels around the first floor. Only two months ago, Naruto vowed to himself that he would save everyone, and here, the cactus haired hotshot was telling everyone that two thousand people died.

"Kibaou-san. Are you referring to the beta testers?" Diabel asked.

"Of course I am! On the day this stupid game started, the beta testers ditched us beginners, and they all disappeared. They took all the good hunting spots and easy quests for themselves, so only they could get stronger. And then they ignored the rest of us." He paused. Naruto was getting more and more irritated with the guy the more he listened, so he was ready to shut him off. However, Kibaou began to yell again with even more passion than before.

"I'm sure that someone here is a beta tester. Like him!" He pointed an accusing finger at Naruto, flaring his nose and glaring. Naruto's eyes widened in shock. Then, he thought about it through Kibaou's logic. Naruto's current level and gear would seem unnaturally high and exclusive, even to beta players. In fact, he was pretty sure he was currently the highest level player in the game. Every single one of his gear was either extremely expensive or rare from mini-boss drops from the first floor. Each even had a prerequisite level of 10. So, when Kibaou, the cactus headed idiot pointed at Naruto, many of the others seemed suspicious of the blonde immediately as well. However, even though Naruto could understand the logic and thinking of the other players surrounding him in the meeting, that didn't prevent his ire from increasing at the yelling idiot.

"I apologize…" Kibaou gave a malicious grin and was about to say something until Naruto continued, "…to inform you that I am not a beta tester." This statement was immediately received with shouts of 'Liar' and 'There's no way he's not a beta tester. Look at his gear.'

"You can't prove it! All beta testers should share all the money and equipment they hoarded, and that includes you!" Naruto looked at each of the faces around him. Every one of them was distrusting and showing ill intent directly towards…himself. He turned to his party members. Kirito showed an undercurrent of nervousness behind his mask, but Naruto couldn't tell the emotions of the hooded figure. _So…Kirito is a beta tester, hmm? Not really important to me, anyways._

"So…what you are saying is that I and all the beta testers should share and give out all our col and equipment, correct? Well, then…here's my response. Fuck you." Every person's face showed shock at the response and use of language. Even Kirito's calm façade broke for a moment.

"You expect me to give you everything I earned for the past two months? I traveled throughout the whole first floor, and that is why I was able to gain enough col, level up more than any other player, and finish all the quests on the first floor. Besides, you think that beta players left the beginners to the dust? And some of the quests are impossible for players at your level and caliber, even with a group. Also, you said that 2,000 players died. Are you certain that every one of them were newbies and beginners? Are you certain that not a single one of the deaths were beta testers?" Kibaou's face was still flaring and red, but Naruto knew he was winning the argument handily.

Naruto pulled out an information handbook and a guidebook from his inventory and place them on each hand. "These are information guidebooks on tactics, sword skills, basic information on equipment, quests, grinding monsters, and everything else a beginner and newbie needs to know, myself included. And guess what? All this information was compiled and given out by beta testers…for free." With this information fired at Kibaou and the rest of the players, many of them began to question whether beta players were actually the bad people. Maybe the beginners just died because they didn't know anything about how to play.

"And you think that alienating beta testers from the rest of the player population will help your cause to complete the 100 floors? Don't make me laugh, Kibaou-san. They have more experience and knowledge than all the non-beta testers combined. Kibaou-san, allow me to be blunt. I think you are being very stupid and irrational. You are quick to anger and do not logically think things through. This lack of forethought and extreme rashness will not only cause you to lack trustable teammates in the future, but it will also cause your death." Kibaou didn't take this insult graciously, but he knew he was defeated in the verbal competition. He sat down on a seat, completely obliterated, and waited for the meeting to end. Naruto sat back down as well. Kirito gave a small smile to Naruto, which Naruto returned. The rest of the meeting went without a hitch.

XShuyaX

(Time Skip: Night time)

Music was playing and players were eating and drinking heartily. They were getting prepared for the boss battle the next day. Kirito left with Asuna to get some food, so Naruto was left alone, standing in the middle of a pathway while drinking tea.

A large man walked up to Naruto and tapped him on the shoulder. The blonde turned around and ended up face to face with a giant. He was a dark-skinned man with a battle axe latched across his back. His muscles were bulging and ridiculously large. The bald man found himself uneasy when he noticed the blonde was staring at his arms.

"May I help you?" The blonde finally asked when he stopped staring at the man's arms.

"No, not really. My name is Agil, and I just wanted to say that your speech at the meeting was very…eye opening at the least. The other players do not understand how much the beta testers actually help and contribute to complete this game." Naruto gave a wide smile and gave the man a thumbs-up.

"Of course! I need to protect everyone!" Agil grinned and patted Naruto's back "lightly". Naruto stumbled and almost fell face first onto the stone pathway. He managed to regain his footing, but he spilled some of his tea. Naruto turned his head up and glared lightly at Agil. Agil only laughed heartily. A young blonde, probably fourteen years of age, glaring up at a full grown man with the strength of a Goliath was not too intimidating.

"Sorry, sorry. I'll get you another one." Naruto smiled and then laughed lightly while scratching the back of his head.

"Ahaha, it's OK. I'll get some more myself. Don't worry. I'll see you around, Agil. Sorry, I'm not one for honorifics." Naruto walked away while finishing the leftover tea. _If I use them, it's either an endearment or an insult._

"He'll be strong…I know it." Agil smiled, and then began to rub his chin. "I wonder where he got that blade. Maybe I should become a weapons shop owner."

XShuyaX

(Location: Bakery)

Kirito was currently crying mentally at the possibility of losing all of his col. He brought Asuna to a bakery, and was fully regretting his decision.

The first time he saw her at night, he felt bad when he saw her eating stale food and had nothing else to eat.

"That must taste good," he said sarcastically while sitting down next to her. She took another bite, struggling to take out a piece.

"I didn't join this game to eat good food."

"I…see. Here, eat with this." He gave the hooded figure cream to eat the bread with.

"What is this?" Kirito placed it on her bread and spread it.

"It's cream, a reward from a quest. Just try it. The food should be bearable now." She took an experimental bite. However, the taste was so delicious and addicting to her that she was finished with the bread with cream before a person could say 'RAMEN!'

Kirito laughed at Asuna's sudden hunger and light-heartedly brought up the topic of the bakery. Within a minute, Asuna dragged Kirito through the streets and into a bakery and was forcing him to buy multiple pastries and fresh bread.

A small bell went off, indicating that someone entered the store. Kirito turned to see who it was, and there was Naruto. _I can use him as a scapegoat!_ _The savior of my col!_

"Naruto, can you stay with Asuna a moment? I need to look around the other stores before they close." _Please accept, please accept, please accept._

"Sure, why not. Go ahead. Make sure you get some potions and good gear." Kirito gave Naruto a real grin and ran out of the bakery, as if blessing him for something. Naruto shook his head and smiled.

"Does he really think I'm that stupid?" Naruto muttered to himself silently, but still smiling. Asuna turned to Naruto. She tilted her head, but the hood still completely shadowed her face, so he couldn't tell what expression she had. However, he was certain she was confused. "Yes? Do you need something?"

"Where did he go?" She stopped placing breads and small cakes into her plate.

"Don't worry, he'll be back. Just buy everything you want, we have the col to buy it." Naruto gave her a wide smile that closed his eyes. She just nodded and turned around stoically, but her actions were invigorated and filled with enthusiasm. When she finished, she walked over to the cashier and placed at least forty different kinds of bread and delicacies on the counter.

"How much will this be?" The girl in front of the cashier perked up and looked at Asuna before looking at the mountain of food in front of the hooded figure. Her jaw dropped before she asked for a moment to calculate the total cost. It took two minutes, and the cost ended up being around 1,500 col, enough to buy a decent pair of boots on the first floor. Asuna turned around to ask Naruto for the money, but Kirito was there instead. He was looking side to side, as if confused. He looked like he didn't even know where he was until he saw Asuna. Then his face showed realization, then horror when he saw the pile of pastries and realizing that the 1,500 col was the cost for Asuna's pastries. So, he did only one thing. Scream…very loudly, cursing our blonde protagonist.

"DAMN YOU, NARUTOOOOOO!"

XShuyaX

(Location: Alleyway)

_Hmm...so this is where Kirito went. Well, now I know I don't have to see my victim before I use __**Kawamiri no Jutsu**__ with them. Wonder how he will react to this._

Suddenly, a shout echoed throughout the plaza and everyone turned their heads to the bakery. Naruto smiled, then chuckled, and laughed uncontrollably until his sides hurt. He barely managed to get his next words out.

"Kawamiri no Jutsu…success!"

XShuyaX

(Time Skip: 6 A.M.)

Naruto yawned. He was in a forest full of level 5 monsters. They weren't powerful, but their strength came from numbers. These monsters were the only ones that were able to inflict a status ailment on the first floor, poison. Not like it was really bad if the player had an elixir or direct counteractive, but it was annoying as hell. It would continuously drop a player's health for a set period of time.

But that's not why Naruto was here. He was here because-

"Kirito…*yawn* why'd you tell us to come here so early?" Kirito seemed amused at Naruto's sleepiness. They didn't get a chance yesterday to work as a group and practice switching, so Kirito assumed it would be better now than during the boss battle. So, he told Asuna and Naruto to come out to the forest at 6 A.M.

"We need to work on switching. Naruto, I don't really know what your capabilities are, but I know you are strong. Asuna-san is the rapier user of our group, so she should be able to strike the weak points of the minions with her precision and dexterity." Naruto nodded in agreement. _Well, I think it's better if I hide most of my abilities until I absolutely have to show it._

"Sure, so Kirito can start, then switch with me, and then I'll switch with Asuna. Right?"

"Basically. Let's practice. I brought you here to this forest because of the amount of monsters to practice on. Because of our levels differences from the monsters, we won't gain that much experience. But it doesn't mean we won't get a possible lucky drop."

"Luck, huh?" The whole time Naruto and Kirito were talking to each other, Asuna stood leaning against a tree, listening in silence. After it seemed like the explanations were over, she began to silently walk away. Naruto and Kirito noticed this, but they shrugged their shoulder and followed. Within a few minutes, they were taking out monsters at a ridiculous pace, leaving some players cursing them for stealing all of the possible EXP, col, and loot.

XShuyaX

(Time Skip: 9 A.M.)

"Let's go!"

After Diabel's speech, he opened the doors to the boss room. Everyone rushed into the room, preparing for the battle. Every group of six was split into attackers, defenders, and tanks, although there wasn't much difference in stats at the early levels.

Group G consisted of Naruto, Kirito and Asuna, which had only attackers. They were calmly standing on the right side of the room. Naruto was fingering the hilt of his sword while expertly twirling his dagger in the air. Asuna was leaning against the wall while eating a pastry. Kirito had his menu open moving potions to his **Quick Slot** so he had immediate access to the health potions.

Suddenly, the room became bright. The clearing party was in a huge hall. Some minions in armor with sword, axes, or hammers flashed into the other side of the room. Then, the boss flashed in. **Illfang, the Kobold Lord**. It was huge and quite honestly, fat. It was standing tall on its disproportionately small legs, prepared for battle. On its right hand was an axe, and on the other was a large, circular shield.

_How are its tiny legs even keeping its protruding belly up? And what's with that diamond shape on his flabby stomach? And why is it colored red? _

More sentinels flashed into the room, standing to the side of the boss, evening the numbers between the clearers and the sentinels.

To many of the players, the boss seemed quite terrifying. The pair of glowing red eyes and steam rising from its nose gave it a feral appearance. However, Naruto felt differently. _And seriously-_

"WHY IS THIS BOSS SO DAMNED UGLY?" Some of the clearers were shocked by how uncaring and nonchalant the non-beta tester could be. However, Naruto did succeed in taking away most of the tension from the clearers. Some even laughed, agreeing with the exclamation.

The boss roared, and the clearers yelled in response. The two groups charged towards each other with Naruto, Kirito, and Asuna in the lead due to their speed. The moment the minion sentinel came close to them, Kirito used **Horizontal **to stagger the sentinel.

"Switch!" Kirito jumped back, and Naruto jumped in with his blade above his head. His weapon flashed a crimson red as he slashed in a downward arc that was a blur to Asuna and Kirito. He did a front flip and landed gracefully behind the sentinel. Asuna didn't wait for the signal and jumped in, landing a blow on the neck. The sentinel shattered into the polygons, the death assured by the sound of breaking glass.

3 seconds. It took only 3 seconds for them to take care of the sentinel. For some reason, the boss and the sentinels seemed to notice the danger and potential from the three man group. Some more minions flashed into the room and ran towards the trio.

Diabel, who was the in the back of the clearers ordering and keeping the clearers organized, noticed this.

"Group F, assist Group G!" The group of six heard this and immediately responded. They saw the danger as well; it was six sentinels surrounding the three youngest clearers. However, the assisting group saw something that no one would expect.

"Kirito, ready to dance?" Naruto asked with a sadistic grin. Kirito gripped his blade tighter and nodded in response. Asuna jumped quickly jumped away from the duo to give them room to do their next attack.

Naruto grabbed Kirito by the ankles and began to spin wildly while cackling and grinning madly. The two didn't have the move down perfectly, but they had practiced this for hours in the forest when Naruto brought up a question.

(Flashback: the Forest Clearing)

"_Hey, Kirito, if we're surrounded, what will we do? We don't really have wide area effect abilities to take care of the sentinels quickly." They were currently taking a breaking under the shade of a large tree. Kirito was drinking water and Asuna was eating a small cake. Naruto already ate his ramen within a few seconds, so he was checking out his stats and reading the descriptions under his abilities once more._

"_Hmm…I guess that would be a problem. But we didn't have any problems so far, so I don't think it's really necessary to think about that, Naruto." _

"_I'm just saying 'what if'. It's better to be safe than sorry." _

"_Why don't you make your own attack? Does the attack __**Horizontal**__ stop immediately or when you stop swinging?" Asuna asked. She finished her cake and began eating another pastry. "I mean…if you starting spinning with the Sword Skill, would the Sword Skill end when you stop spinning?" Kirito thought about it, then shook his head. He got up and took his sword out. It began glowing white and he began to spin. _

"_Ahhhhhh!" He was still spinning after ten seconds and turning at a ridiculous rate, becoming a blur of black. Naruto was cracking up on the floor holding his sides. Asuna even chuckled a little bit._

_Finally, after another ten seconds, Kirito stopped spinning and fell onto the dirt. His eyes were swirling comically, and his body was sprawled out on the ground. _

"_Good job, Kirito! Let's do that again, except I'll spin and hold on to your legs. If we both do the skill at the same time, we'll go even faster!" Naruto began to cackle somewhat madly while Asuna and Kirito sweatdropped…until Kirito realized that Naruto was serious._

_They tried it for the next few hours, although one person was not willing. Kirito hit trees enough times to bring him down to red health._

XShuyaX

"Goooo! **Reaping Whirlwind!**" Naruto lifted Kirito above the ground. Both boys began to use **Horizontal**. They began to spin at unreal speeds, becoming nothing more than a deadly circular blur. The sentinels didn't stand a chance and were killed within ten seconds.

"…holy shit…"

"What the hell?"

The players that saw the duos team attack was awestruck and dumbfounded by the ability, however stupid it may be.

The sentinels were quickly taken care of by the other groups. The boss was going down to its last bar. However, before it could go down…

"Don't surround the boss!" Diabel yelled out. It was too late. The boss used an area of effect attack that stunned the six players surrounding it. Leading with its blade, **Illfang the Kobold Lord** quickly spun with its glowing blade and sent the six men crashing against the walls. All six of them were in the red health zone, one hit from certain death.

"Get back!" Diabel ordered. He turned to the supports. "Get them potions now!" The supports gave a 'Roger' and ran across the hall immediately to help their downed comrades. They grabbed their injured comrades and ran back behind lines.

Naruto and Kirito let out a breath, both from exhaustion and nervousness. Both thought that the players that surrounded the boss were stupid, especially after they were explicitly told not to surround it right before the battle. However, at least the members were alive and safe behind allied forces.

Suddenly, the boss roared out loud and threw its large axe and shield into the air. Naruto and the clearers jolted up from the noise and faced the boss. It was down to its last bar.

"Roaarrrrr!" Suddenly, Diabel ran in front of the lines and prepared for battle.

"Get back! I'll take care of it from here." Naruto and Kirito both narrowed their eyes. _What's the game you're playing, Diabel?_

Naruto was seriously beginning to question Diabel's ability to think logically. The boss had a full last bar of health and was going to switch its attack patterns completely with a new weapon. There was no way any attack could take a full bar unless a person was at least 20 levels above the boss.

Kirito, however, was a beta tester and was able to catch on right after Diabel was about to charge in. _He wants the __**last hit**__!_

The **Last Hit**, or **LA,** gives a huge bonus to the player in both EXP and items. The player will usually receive an invaluable item or piece of equipment that is generally multiple stats stronger than the floor's current gear.

Kirito cursed. He knew what Diabel was doing because he did it before as well. During the beta, he would wait until the last moment and use a sword skill to strike a critical hit on the boss. This made him a somewhat infamous character during the beta. But Diabel made it seem like he was fighting at the last moment to protect his teammates, so no suspicion would be directed towards him.

Then, Kirito and Naruto both noticed something when the boss pulled out its new weapon. _That's not a Talwar! That's a Nodachi!_ It was a double-edged blade that was longer on the sides than the middle.

"Get back! That's a Nodachi!" Kirito shouted. Diabel gave a sideways glance to his group and smirked. _No, he thinks we're trying to prevent him from getting the last hit!_

Diabel charged forwards with a sword skill, his large, double-edged sword glowing blue. The boss had already prepared a sword skill, its nodachi glowing red.

Suddenly, the boss's speed skyrocketed. It jumped on the ceiling, bounced on the walls, and then rushed at Diabel to throw him off. It succeeded. Diabel stopped mid-charge and let his sword skill fade, leaving him completely open to any attack.

There was a drawback when using the system assistance when using any sword skill: there is a period of time that the player is frozen and cannot move.

The boss charged forwards…then hit Diabel, making him fly into the air. But it wasn't done yet. Three more thorough slashes and slices through his body, and then the boss landed heavily on the floor. Its eyes, if possible, seemed to gleam even more.

Diabel landed on the floor on his back, coughing and extremely pale. It was over in an instant. Both of the boys couldn't move when the boss charged Diabel, and they definitely couldn't reach him in time to save the blue-haired "knight" when he was in midair.

Kirito and Naruto rushed over to him. Kirito pulled out a potion, but Diabel pushed his hand away.

"It's too late for me. The potions won't heal enough health to stop the boss's damage from bringing me to zero HP. It's only a few seconds before I disappear. You're a beta tester, aren't you?" Kirito's eyes widened. "So…you must have known I was doing. Do what I couldn't and lead these people to finish the boss…and clear the game." And then he shattered into blue polygons, smiling weakly while placing his last hope in Kirito.

Sounds began to disappear from Naruto's senses. He could see everything, every movement. The smallest twitch of a finger was a huge movement in his eyes. The boss…before large, became a huge, looming target. The putrid smell invaded his nose, almost making him turn away in disgust. A person…was killed in front of him. He couldn't save him at all.

"You…killed him. You ended his life…" Naruto's killing intent exploded. Even though it wasn't focused on his teammates and comrades, everyone still felt the pressure. The boss turned its head and focused its eyes on Naruto. His eyes were merciless and cold, glaring straight back at the boss with the intent to utterly demolish the boss.

"Kirito. Asuna." Asuna ran over to join Naruto and Kirito. Kirito looked up at Naruto, still kneeling on the floor where Diabel recently died.

"I want to kill this _thing. _Will you help me?" They were both surprised by the controlled anger behind the voice, but they nodded their heads in confirmation. Determination flashed through Kirito's eyes. Naruto never took his eyes off his opponent once. "I'm coming for you."

Naruto ran at the boss and jumped high into the air. He suddenly appeared in front of the boss, his sword flashing red with his sword above his head.

"Take THIS!" The boss raised its blade in defense, but Naruto flipped over the blade by inches. With no kind of defense in his way, Naruto slashed straight through the boss with **Vertical** and landed behind it. But he knew it wasn't done. Naruto turned his eyes behind him to see the boss's health. It was still in the green on its last bar of health.

He spun and slashed at the boss's back, the place with the least armor. The clean, deep slash was marked by the loud, piercing shriek of the boss.

"Switch!" Kirito was already slashing through the boss with **Horizontal**, ending up next to Naruto. Naruto prepared another sword skill, using **Horizontal** to slash straight through the boss' back, side, and stomach, ignoring all the armor and flesh. Bright red marks appeared on the boss' body, indicating the damage and deep slashes.

"Once more!" Naruto charged once again, but the boss was prepared. It swung its blade like a baseball bat harshly at Naruto. He managed to prevent the boss's blade from reaching his body by blocking it was his sword, but he wasn't able to prevent the momentum from making him to fly and crash into one of the hall's walls.

Naruto opened his eyes painfully. His health was in the yellow, approaching the red zone. He turned his head at the boss, but saw something that made him go cold.

"Asuna!" Both of the boys saw Asuna in front of the boss. The boss was bringing its blade down, a towering monster with the blade acting as the executioner. Naruto was too far away and needed time to heal with the potions. His eyes were wide in shock and worry. _No no no! Damn it! _Kirito was behind the boss, so he wouldn't be able to reach her in time either.

The feeling in his arms returned, but his body was still numb. The boss was already swinging its Nodachi down, towering over Asuna like an executioner of death.

She sidestepped it barely, but her cloak ripped off. Now, Kirito and Naruto could see clearly who their partner really was. Behind the cloak was a girl with chestnut-brown hair and equally brown eyes. She was tall for a girl at her age, probably a good three inches taller than Kirito and Naruto. She had long legs, a delicate face, modest chest, and smooth, creamy colored skin.

_She's…beautiful_. Kirito thought.

Asuna quickly closed the distance between her and the boss. Her rapier glowed green before her rapier disappeared.

"Ha!" Her rapier appeared once more in her hand before she used **Linear **again. _I can't even see the rapier or her hand move! _Naruto and Kirito thought in unison.

There was no time to think in the heat of battle. The boss was prepared once more to fight against the three of them. The trio knew they would lose, even with their somewhat decent teamwork. The boss began to swing its blade at Asuna, who recently inflicted the most damage on the boss. She could've easily dodged the boss's swing, but it wasn't necessary.

_Agil!_ The dark, muscle-brawn man deflected the Nodachi with his War Hammer. "You're not alone, kids! Let the men do some of the work!" The rest of the clearing group ran in, encouraged by the determination and strength shown by the three youngest clearers.

"Come on, guys. We're going to beat this boss, then clear this game!" Agil yelled. The rest of the clearers roared in response, charging in with their blades all glowing, and their sword skills prepared to strike the boss. The boss realized quickly realized it was surrounded, so its blade glowed blue.

"GUYS, DON'T SURROUND IT!" Kirito shouted at them. _How can they forget so quickly!?_ This time, however, when the boss began to spin and use its wide area attack, a figure completely stopped the attack and sent the boss reeling back. _Naruto…_

The blonde's eyes were shadowed by his bangs. Slowly, his left hand reached out for something. _What is he taking from inventory?_ A small dagger with a metal hilt appeared. He lifted his face. Kirito flinched at the expression Naruto was showing. His eyes had no expression. His face held no emotion.

"Did you forget, you stupid boss…" Naruto rushed in and struck the boss in a flurry of attacks, his sword and dagger stabbing and slashing the boss in an unpredictable pattern. The boss could barely defend itself. "…your life became forfeit the moment you attacked my comrades! Kirito!" Kirito was directly behind the boss, his sword glowing white once more.

"Finish the damned boss!" It health was low enough for one critical sword skill hit to end its life. Kirito ran in and began his swing. Naruto jumped back to avoid the oncoming attack.

"Uraahhhhhh!" Kirito slashed from the back, through the sides, up the chest and through the boss' neck. He jumped back and away from the boss to prevent the frozen period from leaving him vulnerable if the boss was still alive. _That's…it. That has to be it._

The boss stood still, a bright red trail showing where Kirito's sword slashed through its body. It stayed still, looking at the luminescent ceiling. Then, it began to fall back. Before it reached the floor, it exploded into shattered blue polygens.

***Congratulations! You have defeated Illfang the Kobold Lord!***

Everyone began to cheer. It was over. The first floor was cleared after two months of despair, the clearers cleared the first floor and could finally give hope to the other players.

On every person's menu, another message appeared.

***Congratulations! You have leveled up!* **

Naruto opened his menu to check his stats.

**Character: Naruto**

**Stats:**

**Level: 14**

**Strength: 21(+8)**

**Defense: 20(+6)**

**Agility: 30(+4)**

**Intelligence: 31(+4)**

**Luck: 90(+0)**

**Chakra Pool: 543/?**

**Chakra Control: 226/1000**

**Sword: 256/1000**

**Dagger: 223/1000**

_Not much changed from level 13 to Level 14. Oh well. Let's see._

Abilities:

**Horizontal: 867/1000**

**Vertical: 1000/1000**

**Kawamiri no Jutsu: 739/1000**

**Henge: 4/1000**

**Bunshin no Jutsu: 84/1000**

**Kage Bunshin no Jutsu: 427/1000**

**Tree Walking: 695/1000**

**Water Walking: 127/1000**

**?: 0/1000**

**?: 0/1000**

_I got two new abilities? I wonder what they are. Probably have to do some quest to unlock them. _Naruto closed him menu and looked over to Kirito. A group of people were clapping him on the shoulder, complimenting his sword skill and final attack. _That's right, he got the __**Last Attack**__. _

"WHY!?" All movements and sounds ceased. After a few seconds, the voice yelled again. "WHY DID YOU LET DIABEL DIE!?" Naruto recognized it immediately. That annoying, accusatory tone belonged to only one person. _Kibaou-teme._

People moved to the sides to show Kibaou, standing with his arms crossed over his chest. _No matter how many times I see him, he's still ugly._ _And that cactus head? My spiky hair is so much cooler._

"Let him die?" Kirito asked. The people around the black haired swordsman gave questioning looks to Kibaou. Everyone saw Kirito pull out a potion from his **Quick Slot** to give to Diabel after he was brutally slashed by the boss.

"That's right!" Kibaou used the number one move in his book: the accusing finger. He pointed it at Kirito. "If you knew that it was a Nodachi the boss would use, why didn't you tell us? Then, Diabel wouldn't have died, and none of us would have been in this mess!" Everyone began muttering under their breaths, glancing over the people around them. Naruto knew what was going on.

"He must be a beta tester!" Someone yelled out. He was pointing at Kirito. "That's how he must have known all the boss's attack patterns! He knew, but he didn't tell us. There are other beta testers here, right? Come out! Show yourselves!" The murmurs grew louder.

Kirito was nervous. He knew if he didn't do something immediately, then the consequences to all beta testers would be extreme. Not only that, but everyone was currently staring at each other like everyone was a beta tester. If they couldn't even trust each other, how could they complete this game? _What can I do?_ Kirito looked down, and saw his answer. He only hoped it would work.

"Hey, come on…" Agil was trying to calm Kibaou down. He was one of the people that clearly understood that beta testers and non-beta testers had to work together to complete the game.

Then, maniacal laughing echoed through the hall.

"Ha ha ha ha…HA HA HA HA!" Everyone turned to the sound of the mocking laugh. It was Kirito.

"A…beta tester?" He stood up from his position on the floor. "I wish you wouldn't compare _me _to those _newbies_." Naruto narrowed his eyes at Kirito. _What do you have planned? I know you wouldn't put yourself under the fire unless…_Then, Naruto's eyes widened in realization. _If that is the reason why you're doing it…I respect your actions and will not stop you. However, I do hope you know what you are doing, Kirito._

Everyone else was surprised. A beta tester calling other beta testers newbies and beginners? What kind of absurdity was this kid talking about?

"Most of the thousand beta testers were beginners who didn't even know how to level up, use a sword skill, or farm EXP from monsters. You guys are even better than them. However…I'm not like them. We're so different that you can't even begin to compare us. I made it higher than anyone during the beta test. The reason why I knew the boss's skills during the fight was because I fought with monsters with katana skills on floors far above us."

Everyone was looking at Kirito was surprised, shocked, and somewhat disgusted looks now. Naruto didn't understand their logic of thinking. _This kind of person is the one we need, you idiots. We need a person that knows! Knowledge is power! _However, everyone else didn't think so. They continued to give Kirito dirty looks and were prepared to shun him. Kirito's face seem to be shadowed darkly when he glanced at each person. He stopped at Naruto for a moment, and then continued glancing at every person's eyes.

"I know way more…Way more than any information broker. There isn't a single person in the beta tester group that can even hold a candle to me." Kibaou was staring at Kirito was a blank look, until it changed to one of rage.

"That's…way worse than a beta tester. You're cheating! A damn cheater!" Everyone else seem to agree, chanting 'cheater' and 'beta tester', which eventually became a strange mix to create the word…**Beater.**

"**Beater**...I like it. That's right…from now on…I am a beater. Don't compare me to those other newbie testers." He opened his menu and began to look through his inventory. He pressed on his **Last Attack** bonus from the boss, **Coat of Midnight**. The black coat flashed dramatically over his other clothing and waved in a nonexistent wind. The coat gave him a dark look, one that would forever imprint itself in a person's mind once he saw it.

Kirito gave an evil smirk and walked away. He went up the steps to the second floor and opened the door. Asuna quickly ran after him. Naruto stood still, watching the two disappear through the door to the second floor. When Kirito and Asuna went through the door, everyone seemed to get out of their shock and regain their bearings. Especially Kibaou.

"You damned beater!" Kibaou yelled out loud. Suddenly, Naruto flipped. He had had enough with his childishness. He knew that Kirito's reputation was destroyed and wouldn't be fixed at this point, and maybe not for a long time. But he never liked Kibaou-teme, and he felt it was time for someone to learn some manners.

"SHUT UP, YOU DAMN TEME!" He punched Kibaou straight on the jaw, sending him crashing on the floor. Kibaou caressed his mouth with his hand. Then, he looked up to see his assailant. Naruto was glaring down at him, his eyes cold and his hand near his **Anneal Blade.** "You all are stupid, childish morons. You guys are worse than kids! A beater? A cheater? Someone that knows more than any information broker!?" Now, Naruto's anger was plainly obvious. His voice grew louder and louder until he was yelling, mainly at Kibaou. But the message was clear to everyone. _You all fucked up, and you did it hard. _

"We NEED that kind of person. Someone who knows what to do! Someone like that can lead us past the floors so that no one else dies! But you guys are so stupid and caught up in your hatred and prejudice against beta testers that Kirito couldn't speak up, worried about his own health if he told you guys that he was a beta tester. Hell, I'm certain that's how every beta tester feels! And I'm certain that he didn't know that the boss had a Nodachi. Why? Why do you think he was surprised and yelled out to Diabel when the boss pulled out a different weapon than expected? I even read the guidebook and saw the guide for the first floor boss. It clearly stated that the boss had a Talwar, not a nodachi. There was plenty of time to change some game mechanics and bosses before the game was actually released!" Everyone seemed to lose their steam and anger against beta testers and Kirito when they heard Naruto speak. However, no matter what Naruto did, Kirito held a dark place in every person's mind, especially after his last act.

Naruto grabbed Kibaou's collar and forced him up onto his feet. Naruto then pulled Kibaou right up into his face. "And you sent him away! The one that could cheat and clear this game! The one that knew more than any other person! You DUMBASS!" He yelled and head-butted Kibaou as hard as he could on the forehead. Kibaou screamed in pain and landed on his ass.

"If this is how non-beta testers are, I'd much rather be a beta tester!" Now, everyone was seeing their mistake. However, none of them wanted to take back what they said. Kirito was still a damned beater in their minds. The one that stole all the quests and col. The beater that took all the EXP and monsters in the fields. Most players would never get over their hatred towards beaters, regardless of how much reasoning and explanations they are given. However, if Kirito managed to do one thing…he managed to redirect most of the hatred towards himself.

Naruto turned around once, staring at each person in the eye. None of them would look up at him for more than a second.

"Hatred…is a stupid thing. Prejudice is just as bad, if not worse. You are all like children. You can't even get over your own prejudice to work together. If we can't even work together, how are we even going to complete this game?" Everyone remained silent. Not a word was spoken. Naruto walked away towards the steps to the second floor, his steps echoing loudly throughout the hall. No one made a move to stop him. No one tried to rebuke him. No one even made an effort to even try. They all stared at the floor, as if it was the most interesting thing in the world; whatever to get their mind off of a fourteen year old blond castigating them with a verbal lashing.

Agil stared sadly at Naruto's back as he walked away. _You must stay strong, Naruto…because I truly believe you will become the strongest…_

XShuyaX

(Location: Second Floor)

Naruto opened to the door to the second floor and was immediately captured by the scenery around him. It was completely empty. Empty streets and empty houses. No merchants and no people anywhere. But that wasn't what caught his attention. What did…were the mountains and plains, forests and trees that surrounded that town. For a moment, all of his previous anger was forgotten. _Nature truly is beautiful. _

He took his first steps on the second floor. _It doesn't matter what people think of Kirito. If he ever needs help…I'll do my best to help him no matter what, 'ttebayo!_

Naruto looked up at the moon. It was a full moon that night. He stood there, staring up at the moon, enraptured by its beauty for a few minutes.

Suddenly, Naruto's eyes gained a determined gleam. He ran through the town roads and ignored all of the NPC's and weapons shops on the second floor. Bursting through the town's exit, he reached the fields and pulled out his **Anneal Blade **and his **Broken Crystal Dagger.** The moment a monster came into sight, Naruto threw his blade and completed his trademark move. _Kawamiri no Jutsu._ The monster shattered into broken polygons within another second. To an observer, Naruto flashed in front of the monster and brought down his blade without a moment's hesitation.

_I need to get stronger. Way stronger…so that no one else dies. I vow this to myself, because…that is my own way!"_

**End Chapter 1**

**A/N: And cut! Gosh, this took a while. I really hope this was OK…the battle was different than I was expecting. I feel like some practice is really required. Please, again, no flaming. Constructive criticism, ya? I really feel like taking Silica out of the pairing…**

**I'll try to get another chapter in for New Years. Woot! 2014!**

**Kenzo, out!**


	3. Chapter 2: The Ridiculous Quest

**Chapter 2: The Ridiculous Quest and The Need to Protect**

**A/N: Thank you all so much for your support. If it wasn't for you guys, I wouldn't have felt so encouraged to continue this story and update so quickly. You guys are the best. Seriously, 103 follows? I was so happy, bro. I was freaking out, you have no idea. Oh yea, I think I may keep the Naruto/Silica pairing. However, next time I write a story, it'll definitely be different. **

**Please don't hate me for some grammar mistakes. This thing is so long and I got tired of reading it over again…and still missing grammar mistakes. Besides, I don't have as much time as last week since I'm actually studying…screw that. But seriously…gotta study.**

**Don't know what happened, but my third chapter just went down for a while. I don't know what happened, so I apologize to all people and readers that were waiting for my update. Something went wrong with the site because apparently, this issue didn't happen to just me. So...I'm not a liar. Seriously...I'm not. So I just deleted it and reposted it...twice. Yup. Just making sure the site doesn't do it again...I did it again like at...8:30. yea, I don't know why. My logic didn't make sense. Hey, it's early in the morning and I just woke up...OK yea, that was still stupid.**

**Anyways, I edited it during the time it was down and changed the ending a little. Thank you Tama-Sama! I really liked it, so I just had to!**

**Now, on to review responses!**

**Responses:**

**Mzr90: Yo, thanks for the review. I appreciate your thoughts on the chapter and hope to hear more soon! Boom that rhymed! Success! Haha, but seriously, I appreciate the fact that you actually said that the chapter flowed well. If it wasn't for like…my 15 reviews, I wouldn't know how anyone actually feels about my story.**

**Eniox27: I'm glad you think so. I tried to make Naruto somewhat mature, but he's still quite young. However, like I stated before, he will mature quickly and progress at a somewhat rapid rate. His intellectual level will be quite high, but not Shikamaru level. However, he will be able to deduce things and make plans, unlike canon Naruto, who just ran into fights without a plan in his head and hoped for the best.**

**SilentFang: Thanks for the review! I'm glad you enjoyed it, and I hope you enjoy this just as much. I tried, so…*wink* happy holidays. Yo, I'm such a bro. **

**CackAvenger: I'm thankful that you think my chapter was good. I'll do my best to keep it up and hope that this chapter keeps up to your expectation. I'm going to keep Silica…since the reviews have spoken. Naruto will mainly…actually I can't tell that yet because it's a secret. Well, you'll find out eventually, haha.**

**Tama Saga: I completely agree that Silica would be an awesome pairing with Naruto in this fanfiction story…so I decided to keep her. I really appreciate your long review. I was like…'woah' the first time I saw it. I'm not going to completely follow your idea, as you saw in this chapter, but I tried. Haha. Thanks much, bro. The appreciation is real.**

**Alastar Dunkirk: Thanks for the review! I'm going to try my best to keep this fanfiction going with the same amount of quality as the first two chapter. I decided to stick with Silica because the reviews have spoken. *wink***

** .bailey: Strange fact…I memorized your name. Interesting. Well, I hope this chapter didn't feel too rushed. I had to edit this chapter a few times because I felt it wasn't as good as the first two, so I hope it matches your standards. *smiles hopefully***

**Hanipman: I can't tell you if he will specialize on abilities but I can say this…he will have elemental jutsus. However, he won't throw them around like a cannon with no aim unless he is by himself. Basically, he will almost never use them on a large scale. Hope that answers your question.**

**Raimon: that's cool. I actually Erza Scarlet would be a great character to have as a crossover, but for my first story, I just want people from Naruto and Sword Art Online. Maybe I'll have a small character or a side character, but no major characters. Even if they were in the story, they wouldn't play a major role. They could be clearer or in the lead group but that would be it. Otherwise, sorry, I'm sticking with Silica.**

**Alright, cool. Well that's that, so here's the chapter. But before we begin…**

**Disclaimer: Man, don't you know I don't own Naruto and Sword Art Online. I don't even own the world of Sword Art Online. **

**Chapter 2:**

***You have received a message from Kirito***

Naruto's message jingle went off in his head. He stopped walking on the winding forest path and took a moment to check his surroundings for monsters. Once he was certain that no monsters were in the vicinity to sneak up on him, Naruto opened his menu and checked his new incoming message.

"_Naruto, help me!"_

When Naruto read the first line, he was shocked. It was only a few hours after the first floor boss was defeated and Kirito was already asking for some kind help from him. He threw his head back and laughed out loud. _I guess he trusts me more than I thought._ He looked back down at his message and continued reading.

"_I took on a quest with impossible parameters and requirements. I know I'm not really supposed to say this to others, but there is a quest on this floor that gives an __**Extra Skill**__. I'm doing it right now, but it's seriously IMPOSSIBLE! I'm required to break a circular rock that's about 1.5 meters wide in diameter, and if I don't…I get permanent marks on my face." _

Naruto took slight offence at the last sentence. He liked his whisker marks.

"_Please, Naruto, do me a favor and help me. Besides, you'll get something out of it, too. The __**Extra Skill **__is __**Martial Arts**__. It should definitely be worth it. Please help this helpless __**Beater**__."_

Naruto closed the message and chuckled. _So…Kirito has a sense of humor, huh?_ He checked his surroundings once more, and then continued walking up the winding path.

"I think I'll let Kirito suffer for a while. Besides, he never even told me where the quest is. Now, where is that quest boss?" With that thought in mind, Naruto gripped the pommel of his **Anneal Blade**, which would still be the strongest blade until the **Fourth Floor**. He sprinted up the path, passing trees and bushes. All of a sudden, he stopped running. Then, he facepalmed. Shaking his head, he looked up at the trees in the forest and began to calculate something in his head.

"Can't I just jump on the trees?" He asked himself. _I'll never know before I try!_ He pumped chakra into his legs and jumped on the branches, speeding up his travel speed exponentially. _This is AWESOME! _At that moment, Naruto felt truly free and open. He whooped as he flew through the trees and branches in the air. After twenty minutes, Naruto ended up in front of the boss room.

The room was large with plenty of space for Naruto to use his chakra._ Wonderful!_ It was made of stone and had a dark setting.

The boss was a spider-like creature that stood nearly three meters tall. It had six eyes and had two slightly smaller spiders next to it. Its hairy legs were oozing with purple liquid, probably poison. Every player would have at least flinched at the sight of the ridiculously large spider. However, Naruto stared at it with a feral smile, excited at the chance to use chakra with no one else to watch or hinder him.

He raised his sword and dagger and bent his knees, leaning into his stance. Naruto grinned even wider before he yelled, "LET'S GO WILD!"

The largest spider shrieked in response, and the three spiders charged Naruto.

XShuyaX

(Time Skip: 2 minutes)

"Kami, that was so boring…" Naruto yawned and stretched out his body, leaning back and reaching his hands as high as he could. The boss was supposed to be strong and strike fear into a person, but Naruto ignored the fear and…never fought fairly, a trait he learned from his father and grandfather. If he fought fairly against his mother…let's just say he would have been a lot more extreme when it comes to avoiding sword fighting against her.

The three mini-boss spiders shattered into blue polygons. _Nice, __**500 EXP**_ _for a boss like that! Maybe I should just continuously do this quest…nah, I'll go through every one on this floor._

Naruto walked out of the cave and was embraced by the sunlight and shadows of the forest. The birds chirped and the life of the forest swayed back and forth. The warmth of the sun trickled into his skin. The radiance of it made his blonde hair glow even more as he basked in the sun.

For a few minutes, Naruto stayed standing right at the entrance of the boss room, content to feel the slight breeze caress his skin. Then, he sat down next to a tree and leaned against it. _What should I do today?_ _I can't help Kirito until he tells me where the quest is…so…what to do. What should I do?_ _Whatever, I'll just train my chakra control. _

Naruto stood up from his position against the tree and yawned once more. _**Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!**_ Twenty clones 'poofed' into the forest, all staring back at their creator. Naruto split the clones into two groups; the first group would have five clones working on his **Tree Walking** until it was perfect, and the other fifteen would work on **Water Walking** to increase the stats as much as possible.

Naruto sat back down again, content to just watch his clones work. However, every once in a while, one of the clones would give him a dirty look or shout something at him.

"Get off your lazy ass!"

"Hey, you're the original! Why don't _you_ do the work, too? Why do we have to do this by ourselves?"

Naruto just lifted his hand to his head, cleaned his ear with his pinky, and then commenced to sleep.

_Annoying ass clones. _

XShuyaX

(Time skip: 3 hours)

"What took you so long!"

Naruto smiled cheekily and said –

"Well, first of all, you never sent me _where_ the **quest** was in the first place." Kirito was panting and sweating through his clothes. He already drank through three cups of water from the nearby river, but his thirst was currently insatiable. He put his cup against the wooden stump that acted as a table and glared at Naruto.

"That was three hours ago, Naruto! Seriously, my hands are dying from pain. Where were you?" Naruto looked up at the bright, blue sky for a moment. _I can't tell him I was sleeping, can I…hehehe._ Naruto grinned, a sudden idea flashing through his head. _ I've always wanted to do this…_

"Well, if you _really_ want to know…" Naruto began, dropping his gaze to level it on Kirito. Kirito glared right back. "…I saw a black cat on the path in the forest, so I had to take the long way around and avoid the road. Then, when I was going up the mountain path to the location you indicated in your second message, an old lady was carrying plenty of heavy weapons, so I helped her. So, I had to go all the way back to the city to drop off her weapons at a store. After that…" Kirito deadpanned. He picked up his cup from the tree stump and drank a bit more water before standing up. Then, he walked straight to the rock and commenced striking it as hard as he could to get rid of his current ire at Naruto.

"…and so, that's why I was three hours late." Naruto completely ignored the fact that Kirito stood up and continued to talk, knowing that Kirito was still listening to his bullshit story.

_Naruto -2, Kirito – 0._

Kirito continued to strike the circular rock. Naruto sat still and waited, drinking from his own cup of tea, sipping calmly while staring at the forest. Then, he just closed his eyes and waited for Kirito to join him again, meditating with his legs crossed.

After an hour, Kirito heavily sat back down to take a break, panting and heaving. He immediately reached for his cup of water and drank from it greedily.

Naruto opened his blue eyes and stared at the rock. _Almost no change…but the rock also has __**Health Points**__, so maybe the damage just doesn't show on the surface._

"Kirito." Said person turned to Naruto, but he didn't stop drinking his water. "I want you to tell me exactly what the Martial Arts master said about this quest." Kirito gulped down the rest of his cup, and then wiped his hand over his mouth.

"What do you mean?" He finally asked. Naruto turned his eyes to assess the rock, and then shifted his gaze back to Kirito.

"I mean, how does the master say he wants you to break the rock? Did he say only use your fists?" Kirito nodded in confirmation.

"He said, in his words, 'You must break this rock with thy bare hands.' I'm pretty sure that means use your fist." He said sarcastically. Then, Kirito flung his hands into the air in irritation and yelled at the sky. "And this quest is impossible!" He gripped his hair with both hands and began to pull. "How the hell is anyone supposed to break something one step lower than an **Immortal Object**?"

Naruto nodded sympathetically and stood up. He walked over to the rock. _**Scan!**_ The rock had lost about **100 HP** out of its **500 HP**. _So…the actual damage done to the rock is not shown. Well, I'll show Kirito something._

"Kirito, **scan** the rock." Kirito looked up at Naruto. His blonde friend just pointed his finger at the rock, telling him to **scan **it. Kirito sighed, but complied with Naruto request.

"There's still **400 HP** despite the fact I've been hitting that rock all day. I don't have the strength stats! I'm a speed and agility user!" Naruto ignored Kirito's outburst and raised his fist, pumping chakra into his arms and hand. When he was certain he put the maximum amount of control into the epicenter of his fist, he struck down harshly against the rock.

"Raahhh!"

***Creeeeakkkk***

_What…the hell? How much strength does he have?_

Kirito jumped to his feet and walked over to the rock for the fifth time that day. He **scanned **the thrice damned rock once more. He widened his eyes in shock

"Holy crap…you took out **10 HP** in a hit!" Naruto nodded calmly, but inside, he was crying from the pain pulsing from his fist. "Where do you put all your stats points?" Naruto turned his head to Kirito and tilted it, his eyes innocently wide in questioning.

"What? I have stats points? I thought the system redirects them automatically." Kirito just deadpanned at Naruto. And stared. And stared some more. _I can't believe this guy._

"Naruto, you're kidding, right?

"…"

"…OK, I guess you aren't. Well, if you open up your menu and open up your character stats, there will be a number in a box on the upper left corner. Those are your **Stat Points**, or **SP**. You can move those points to wherever you want. However, you won't be able to reset it or change it later, so whatever you do now, it will be permanent."

Naruto nodded his head in understanding opened his menu to check his character stats.

**Character: Naruto**

**Level: 15**

**Stats:**

**Points: 60**

**Strength: 21(+8)**

**Defense: 20(+6)**

**Agility: 30(+4)**

**Intelligence: 31(+4)**

**Luck: 90(+0)**

**Chakra Pool: 543/?**

**Chakra Control: 226/1000**

**Sword: 256/1000**

**Dagger: 223/1000**

**Abilities:**

**Horizontal: 879/1000**

**Vertical: 1000/1000**

**Kawamiri no Jutsu: 821/1000**

**Henge: 5/1000**

**Bunshin no Jutsu: 102/1000**

**Kage Bunshin no Jutsu: 427/1000**

**Tree Walking: 821/1000**

**Water Walking: 172/1000**

**?: 0/1000**

**?: 0/1000**

_I'm…a dumbass. How could I not see that? Well…what should I choose? I'll read the description of each and make my choice._

"Hmmm…give me moment. I'm going to think about my choice," Naruto said. Kirito nodded and sat back down to drink more of his water.

Naruto opened the description for strength.

_Vitality and power. Each point put in strength will increase a player's damage per strike and overall vitality and health._

Naruto passed it and went straight to the next choice. He was already killing most monsters on the floor with one **Sword Skill**. True, that wouldn't be the case later on when the clearers reached a much higher floor…but that would be on a _much_ higher floor.

_Hmmm…I don't want defense. I know what __**Agility**__ does, but what does __**Intelligence**__ do?_

He switched the description box for **Intelligence**.

_This stat was made as a joke. I created this to show how smart…or stupid a player was. _

Naruto facefaulted. _Kayaba Akihiko, you troll. What about all those people that moved their __**SP**__ to __**Intelligence**__? Well, at least that means I'm smart…hopefully. Whatever, I'm going to put 9 points to __**Strength**__ and the rest to __**Agility**__. Can't hit what you can't see, right?_

Naruto began to press **Agility** over and over again, the game making sound effects that resembled 'beeps' every time. After he had pressed it 51 times, he switched to **Strength **and pressed it 9 times.

***Do you Accept/Decline?***

Naruto immediately pressed **Accept **and stared at his new character stats.

**Character: Naruto**

**Level: 15**

**Stats:**

**Points: 0**

**Strength: 30(+8)**

**Defense: 20(+6)**

**Agility: 81(+4)**

**Intelligence: 31(+4)**

**Luck: 90(+0)**

_Well, that's nice. Oh yea…I have to tell Kirito something._

"You know, Kirito…there's a loophole to this quest." Kirito immediately perked up at this. Naruto tended to have genius ideas at random moments, and so far, they have always worked. Even their duo attack, **Reaping Whirlwind**, was mainly Naruto's idea, not Asuna's. So, when Kirito heard there was a loophole to the impossible quest, he was eager to hear it.

"You said the master ordered to you to break it with 'thy' hands. So…_just_ break it with your hands." Naruto finished with a sly grin, emphasizing the 'just' in his words. Kirito stared blankly at Naruto until the meaning of his words hit him like…**wrecking ball**.

Kirito gripped his hair once more in extreme irritation and threw his head back.

"GODDAMMITTT!" He yelled at the sky at the top of his lungs. Naruto just laughed good-naturedly while he pulled out his **Anneal Blade** from his inventory.

They were done within minutes; one was striking the rock half-heartedly while the other slashed and stabbed it with a vengeance.

XShuyaX

(Time Skip: 10 minutes)

"Oh ho…so thou hast truly broken the rock with thy fists, hm?" The master had a long, white beard. His face was filled with wrinkles and his eyes were closed. He constantly turned his head between Naruto and Kirito constantly, appraising the two without looking at them.

"Hmm…very interesting. Well, I did promise to teach you once thou once thou hast broken the rock, so I shall keep my promise. Come." The old man turned around and entered his hut. Naruto and Kirito quickly followed.

Inside the hut, there were barely any materials inside. A canvas for painting stood upright near the edge of the hut. A small mattress lay on the ground for sleeping purposes. A warm fire burned in the middle of the hut, flickering and cracking. Finally, multiple scrolls lay in stacks on the opposite side of the entrance, rolled up and pristine.

The old was sitting on one end of the fire. He waved his hand to indicate for the two boys to sit down. They complied immediately.

"I have promised to teach thou martial arts. These scrolls are all of the styles that I have learned over my many years. I will teach you what suits you best. For you…" the man pointed at Kirito, "…you should learn Karate. You are skilled with a blade, but you do not have complete balance, and each of your strikes waste movement." Kirito nodded. The old master told him to leave the hut.

When Kirito stood up and left, the old man opened his narrow eyes and stared at Naruto. Naruto gulped.

"You...will learn to meditate."

Naruto sweatdropped. _Why meditate?_

"You have already learned multiple styles of martial arts and defense, even if they are not completely mastered. I already noticed by how you struck at the rock with your sword. Very keen you are to notice the small loophole I left in my words. However, before you can continue, you must become completely in tune with yourself and with the world around you."

"Ahahah, sure…ahh…but why?" The master stroked his long beard with his hand while he stared at Naruto. His eyes seemed to be glowing from the reflection of the fire, his face deeply shadowed.

"I wish you teach you something else, but you cannot learn it until you have completed at least a year of constant meditation. You must mediate at least an hour a day and become in tune with yourself and the world around you." _Jiji, you just repeated yourself._ _But how does meditation relate to __**Martial Arts**__?_

"OK…may I know what you want to teach me?" The master chuckled before giving a slight smile.

"An old and forgotten art," he cryptically said. With that, the master closed his eyes and began to meditate, becoming completely unresponsive. Naruto stood up and walked outside.

"What did he want with you?" Kirito asked. He was sitting against a tree, drinking another cup of fresh water from the river. He was now wearing a clean black shirt, black boots, and dark blue pants. Naruto shook his head.

"I don't know. He said that he wants to teach me an old art form, but I don't know what that means. I'm going to meditate somewhere down the river. Tell me if something happens."

"Sure, I'll send you a message. Did the old master tell you to meditate?" Naruto nodded and walked away.

Kirito sighed once Naruto disappeared from sight. Then, he filled his cup from the river again and drank slowly, content with resting after a grueling day of hitting an almost **Immortal** stone.

XShuyaX

(Location: Riverbed)

*Splash*

A fish flew out of the water and dove back into the river. It was nearing sunset. The setting sun reflected a dark orange on the shimmering surface of the water. Animals made small sounds and ran around the river, drinking from it.

A small red fox, only about a foot long, walked up to a blonde sitting in a lotus position by the bank of the river. It 'yipped' at the young teenager, but the blonde did not respond. It 'yipped' again to try to gain his attention, and once again the teenager made no motion to indicate that he heard the fox.

The fox yawned, stretching out its body, opening its mouth in a way that would make every girl to scream 'KAWAII!' Then, it placed its head on top of its paws and fell asleep next to the blonde's leg.

XShuyaX

(Location: Naruto's mindscape)

"Where…am I?" Naruto was barely standing on top of a large pool of water, trying to prevnt himself from falling in. All around him was white except for the unstable water, but even that seemed to be glowing. The water wasn't calm and stable like a constantly flowing river, but were more like waves crashing against a rock over and over again.

"Wahhh!" Naruto flung his hands out to steady himself. He turned his head to see if there was any kind of escape. There was none.

"Hmmm…you're already here?" A voice echoed from all around Naruto. Suddenly, the waves stopped. The water became flat and calm.

*Drip…drop…drip…drop* Small water droplets fell from an imaginary ceiling to the surface of water below. A figure walked out from the endless white and came into view. It was…

"You're me!" Naruto pointed at his doppelganger. The other Naruto just tilted his head and rolled his eyes.

"No, we're both Naruto. We're two sides of the same coin…but you're too weak right now. Get out." The other Naruto waved his hand, and everything went dark for the real Naruto.

XShuyaX

(Location: Riverbed)

Naruto's eyes fluttered open. He checked the area directly in his vicinity. _No white world. No water. No other me. A flowing river in front of me. I'm sitting on a riverbank next to the forest. So…I'm back…but that also brings up the question of where I went in the first place._

"Hmm?" Naruto turned to his side. There was a red fox sleeping on its paws, leaning against his leg. He smiled and picked it up as he stood up.

"Let's go back. How's that sound, little guy?" The fox continued to snore softly in Naruto's arms as he walked away from the river.

XShuyaX

(Time skip: 1 week)

Naruto was meditating once more on the riverbank. He was trying to go back to the white world, but he felt something like a mental block or wall was blocking him. Every day he would try, and he would get the same result: nothing.

However, the meditation was worth it. The old master made it a quest so that every hour, Naruto earned **1000 EXP**, no matter what level he was. Naruto spent hours every day meditating instead of going down the mountain to farm **EXP **from the monsters. Currently, this would boost his leveling up process faster. He had already leveled up six times in the past week because of the high amount of **EXP** gained.

However, on the upper floors, a single monster would be able to give more **EXP **than an hour of meditation. At that point, a single hour could waste a possible **50,000 EXP **for Naruto.

For now, meditation was faster for **EXP **and more beneficial in the long run. That was the only reason why he never left the mountaintop…other than the fact that the riverbank was possibly the only place where Naruto could actually meditate without being disturbed. Every other place would have people or monsters to bother him during his meditation.

After an hour of trying to enter the white world again, he opened his eyes and gave up. He opened his menu and checked his stats once more.

**Character: Naruto**

**Level: 21**

**Stats:**

**Points: 0**

**Strength: 50 (+8)**

**Defense: 30(+6)**

**Agility: 100(+4)**

**Intelligence: 40(+4)**

**Luck: 120(+0)**

**Chakra Pool: 782/?**

**Chakra Control: 409/1000**

**Sword: 312/1000**

**Dagger: 284/1000**

**Abilities:**

**Horizontal: 1000/1000**

**Vertical: 1000/1000**

**Kawamiri no Jutsu: 932/1000**

**Henge: 12/1000**

**Bunshin no Jutsu: 102/1000**

**Kage Bunshin no Jutsu: 543/1000**

**Tree Walking: 931/1000**

**Water Walking: 243/1000**

**Dynamic Entry: 4/1000**

**Leaf Whirlwind: 4/1000**

**A Lost Art: ?/?**

Naruto's two new abilities showed up when the master showed him a scroll on a style of Martial Arts called **Iron Fist**. Immediately, when he picked up the scroll, the game system congratulated Naruto and gave him the two missing abilities that were question marks. However, **Lost Art** was confusing Naruto. He knew that was what the master was going to teach him…but why were there question marks on the progress and amount possible?

Naruto looked down at his side. The fox, which he named Kurama, was sleeping against Naruto's leg. Not once did the fox leave him, even when he slept. During the third day on the mountaintop, the fox suddenly joined Naruto's permanent party, indicated by the **Health bar** on the upper left corner of his vision.

Naruto stood up to go back to the hut where the master was. The fox somehow knew that Naruto was finished meditating and leaving, even though it was asleep. Kurama immediately woke up and began to walk next to Naruto, swishing its tail from side to side as it walked.

Kirito had left on the third day, finishing his training much earlier than Naruto. However, that was because Naruto's training would take at least a year. Well, more like a year of constant meditation, and then three months of constant training with the master.

At that thought, Naruto recalled what Kirito said before he went down the mountain path.

_**(Flashback: The third day)**_

"_Naruto." Said blonde glanced up at Kirito, but he didn't stop eating his glorious ramen. Kirito sometimes wondered how Naruto could be so healthy even though he ate such unhealthy and crappy food. However, he never brought up the topic of ramen being bad in front of Naruto again after the first time he did so. A single three hour lesson on how ramen was Kami's gift to man was one time too many to Kirito._

"_What Kirito?" Naruto finished his fifth bowl of ramen and was starting his sixth steaming bowl of ramen._

"_Thank you. For what you did on the first floor after I left." Naruto stopped eating his ramen and put it against the log stump. "I heard what you did from Argo, the information broker. When she told me about this quest, she also told me about how the rumors were spreading about me. But she also told me about a blonde teenager with spiky hair that defended me. I only know one blonde teenager with spiky hair, so…thank you." _

_Naruto went over to Kirito and sat next to him. Kirito kept his eyes on the ground, embarrassed. He wasn't used to thanking people or speaking from the heart. He always tripped over his own words, so he usually kept to himself or used the least amount of words possible. All of suddenly, an arm wrapped around Kirito's neck and a knuckle began to rub against the top of his head._

"_Ow ow ow ow ow! Stop it, Naruto!" Naruto laughed and let Kirito go. Kirito rubbed the crown of his head while he glared at his friend. Naruto just smiled back._

"_There's no point to thank me, you idiot. If a single one of those other players had a three-digit IQ, they would have understood that they were wrong. I just did what was right when everyone else was wrong. If anyone should be thanking anyone else, I should be thanking you. Even if I'm not a beta tester, I admire your actions and courage at that moment. To sacrifice oneself for the good of others is one of the hardest decisions and actions to follow through." Naruto looked up at the dark, cloudy sky. It was full of stars, a sight that he had never seen in the real world. "If people could truly understand other people, then there wouldn't be hatred and prejudice. When you directed all the hatred towards yourself, you ended all of the hatred in a way. Well, except for the hatred directed at you." Naruto brought his gaze down back to Kirito. Kirito dropped his gaze back to the floor during Naruto's small speech. Naruto wrapped his arm around his friend's shoulder and chuckled._

"_Ha ha, even if I met you in a game, I'm proud to call you my friend. It doesn't matter to me even if you are an uptight, little asshole." Kirito lifted his eyes to match Naruto's which were filled with mirth. Then, both boys smiled with their hearts. Kirito punched Naruto lightly on the shoulder and chuckled. Naruto just laughed and moved back to his seat next to the log stump. He picked up his bowl of ramen and resumed eating his sixth bowl._

"_You should finish your dinner before it gets cold. It's your last meal up here, you know. Don't want your last memory up here to be a bad thing." Kirito nodded and grabbed his dish. But in his head, he was thinking about how his last memory training on the mountaintop was precious._

'_I'm glad to call you my friend, Naruto.'_

_**(End Flashback)**_

***You have received a message from Kirito***

Naruto immediately opened his message box. There were no monsters in the mountaintop since it was a safe zone

"_There is a meeting for the second floor boss. They are leaving in thirty minutes."_ As soon as Naruto read the message, he cursed. To just reach the bottom of the mountain would take thirty minutes. To get to town would take another twenty minutes.

Attached to Kirito's message was a map. Naruto opened it and assessed the location of the map to his current location. The boss room was in the far south of the second floor. Naruto was on the north mountaintop, the direct opposite side of the map.

_Damn it, I won't make it in time!_ Naruto grabbed Kurama and ran off the mountain path. Once he had gained enough momentum, he pumped chakra into his legs and began tree hopping. _Sorry, sensei. Looks like I need to leave without saying goodbye._

Naruto kept sprinting for five minutes, pushing his limits and going much faster than the last time he traveled by the trees. _Come on, come on, go, go, go!_ Then, Naruto saw the bottom of the mountain and the beginning of the road. He increased his pace and jumped harshly against the last tree branch, breaking it in the process. He landed heavily on the ground. _Holy crap! Those __**Agility**__ stats really did increase my speed!_

His **Health Points **were still in the green, but it took 5% of his **HP** to just use his chakra for five minutes without even using any **jutsus**. _Kami, my chakra control and pool is still crappy. I'll work on that later._ He placed Kurama on the floor and broke into a fast run. Somehow, the red fox managed to keep up with Naruto, despite the fact Naruto was running at a ridiculous pace with his new attributes toward speed.

_The guidebook had no information on the second boss and up. So basically, there is a possibility the boss could be much more dangerous than we expect._ With this thought in mind, Naruto popped a potion from his **Quick Slot** and pumped chakra to his legs once more to increase his speed. He grabbed Kurama and sprinted towards the town.

_Hold on, I'm coming._

XShuyaX

(Time Skip: 30 minutes)

Kirito was thoroughly annoyed by the boss. The boss would continuously drop from the ceiling and grab a person in an unpredictable pattern. After fifteen minutes, six people had already died, shown by the missing name of a person in a party. The boss was…a ridiculously large spider with seven slightly smaller spider underlings.

Already at the beginning of the battle, when the clearers opened the door to the boss room, the dark room and the sight of the enormous spiders had struck fear into the minds of the clearers. The moment when the spiders shrieked and charged the clearers, all hell broke loose and the clearers broke their formation. This resulted in their current dilemma in the 'Every man for himself' thought process, making it impossible for anyone to land a hit on the boss since everyone was too busy running for their lives.

For some reason, the current clearing leader didn't feel the need to retreat, despite the fact six people had already died. _This idiot isn't a leader! He's a coward!_ The leader was trying to stand his ground, but every time a spider dropped and grabbed a person, his face paled more and more until his grip on his sword slackened and he dropped his weapon, succumbing to his primal fear.

Kirito knew he couldn't do anything. None of the clearers would listen to him. Outside of the boss room before the battle began, the other players shunned him and glared at him with disgusted looks. _Whatever. It's not like it matters or I care what they think. At least Asuna and Naruto still accept me._

The moment a spider dropped from the ceiling, Kirito reacted. He pushed off the balls of his feet, rushing at the spider that was almost on top of a player. _Asuna!_ His sword began to shine a bright white. _**Horiztonal! **__Please, reach her in time!_

"Take this!" Right before the spider was able to grab only the player, Kirito slashed through the belly of the spider underling. It shrieked and went straight back up to the ceiling. _We still haven't taken out a single one of these damned things yet! How long with this take! There isn't an actual way to track the damned spiders._

Asuna gave a grateful smile to Kirito. He responded with a nod and stayed by her side, grouping up with her.

Suddenly, a feminine scream sounded through the room. Kirito whipped around to see what was going on.

A young girl with twin pigtails with ruby red eyes was running away from a spider. It had probably sneaked up on her and prevented itself from being seen by all the other players. The spider was chasing after the girl, almost catching up to her. Right before it reached her…

"Dynamic Entry!" A streak flashed through the cave and crashed on top of the spider. A huge cloud of dust erupted from the crash of impact. The sounds of broken glass filled the suddenly silent cave, indicating the death of the first spider. The unknown player stood, his figure hazy due to the amount of dust surrounding him. However, just one small fact gave the figure away. His spiky hair and the next statement he said.

"Made made dane…the hero always comes fashionable late!" _Man, I love that skill. Literally, it's perfect for entries! Thank Kami I got that skill three days ago._

The player stood up and turned looked up at the ceiling, already understanding the situation. But instead of being worried, Naruto began to grin somewhat sadistically.

"It's you again, spiders? Well…let's have some fun!" The remaining six spiders dropped from the ceiling, either surrounding or trying to grab Naruto. He grabbed the young girl jumped out of their reach, landing next to Kirito.

"How in the world are you having trouble with spiders? Is this really the boss?" Naruto asked. Kirito, however, didn't understand why Naruto was so calm about the situation.

"Six people already died, Naruto. It's not easy! And how the hell did you move so fast? I only saw a blur!" Naruto smirked, but he didn't like what he heard before the compliment. His smirk faded and dropped until a frown marred his face. Then…his face once again had a sadistic grin, except this time, it showed a lot more promise of pain. Every player took a step back in unison, having a strange feeling to be as far away from the blonde as possible.

Naruto took a step forwards, and each of the spiders took a step back as well. "Come on little bugs, I promise I won't hurt you…too much." If possible, Naruto's grin became even more sadistic. "You little fuckers killed six people, and then went after the youngest clearer in the group. I promise that your demise will be short and painless...not."

Naruto bent his knees and raised his sword and dagger. His sword began to glow a bright white. He rushed at the largest spider. It shrieked and tried to go up back to the ceiling, but Naruto threw his dagger into the air. The dagger flew right above the spider's head and…

The spider shrieked again as it dropped to the ground with nothing to pull itself up. It couldn't go back up to the ceiling if its web was cut. It tried to run away, but before it could even take a step, Naruto used **Horizontal** to cut off the four legs on one side of the spider. However, he continued to spin, keeping the sword skill active, and cut off the other four legs on the other side of the body.

The spider dropped on its stomach, now with no possible way to escape. It couldn't go up to the ceiling, and it couldn't run away without any legs. Naruto was much shorter than the spider, his head barely reaching mid-height of the spider, but that didn't make Naruto any less scary.

"Well…what do we have here, hmm? A little, helpless spider with no legs and no escape?" Naruto slashed and stabbed the spider in each of its eyes. It shrieked each time until it shattered into polygons.

Kirito was shocked. Not so much by his sadistic nature, since he already saw that on the first floor boss, but rather by the skill shown by Naruto. _How did it take so little time for him to kill one! And that dagger throw…that takes a ridiculous amount of accuracy!_

"So…Kirito. All you gotta do is cut off their legs and you're good to go!" Naruto said cheekily. Kirito sweatdropped. _Only you, Naruto. Only you could joke around at a time like this._

Every person saw how Naruto killed the first spider. Now, with an actual way and method to end the boss battle, the clearers grouped up and waited for the spiders to drop. When each spider did, they died within five seconds. Needless to say, not a single person died after, and the battle was over within five minutes.

XShuyaX

(Time skip: 1 hour)

Naruto was the first person to open the door to the third floor, earning that right by getting the **Last Attack** from the boss battle. Well, it's not like the person with the **Last Attack** had to open the door first, but Naruto had contributed the most to the battle in the view of every person. So, he was encouraged and eventually forced to open the door when he tried to move the responsibility to Asuna.

"Geez, you guys didn't have to force me. I would've opened it…eventually." Kirito and Asuna deadpanned.

"Of course you would have," they replied in complete unison. Naruto smiled cheekily and waved his hand as if to wave off their disbelief.

Naruto turned around and walked away, turning his head left and right as he walked through the streets of the new town. He was looking for something…or for someone. _Where did that girl with the twin pigtails go?_ He walked around the streets and passed a bakery. He looked inside it and saw Asuna forcing Kirito to buy more pastries. Naruto laughed and walked past the window of building, turning another corner to go towards the plaza.

"Come on, Silica-chan. We'll go wherever you want." Naruto was about to ignore the voices and pass the alley until he heard a young, feminine voice.

"A-a-ah, no thank you. I-I'm…ah…waiting for some-someone." This got Naruto's interest. _Who the hell is bullying a little girl? _If there was one thing Naruto learned to hate during his younger years, it was people that couldn't respect women. _Thank you, baa-chan._

Naruto walked into the alleyway. Behind a set of crates were two teenagers, once ridiculously round and quite short, and the other tall and skinny. They were pestering a young girl, that much Naruto could tell, but he couldn't see the girl behind the stack of crates. He walked over to the two late teens and put his hands on both of their shoulder.

Naruto now was able to see the girl past the two teenagers' shoulders. She had two pigtails that were on the side of her head, each held up by a red ribbon. Her ruby red eyes showed extreme agitation and nervousness. Her eyes locked onto Naruto's for a moment until she blushed and looked back at the floor.

Naruto shifted his gaze to glance at the two teens until he stopped in shock. _By Kami…these are possibly the two ugliest guys I have EVER seen! And what are these clothes? Tutus? Tight skin clothing? I'm gonna puke later someday...or maybe now…on them._

"You two…" Naruto began with a voice filled with malice. The two guys shivered and stood frozen still, creaking their heads somewhat comically to face Naruto. Their face was somehow blue and their face was sweating at a ridiculous rate. "…are possibly the two ugliest human beings I have ever seen. Both of you are so ugly that it should be a sin." This, for some reason, got the two teens even more afraid of Naruto.

"Ah, he-here he is. That's him," the girl said, pointing at Naruto. Naruto looked at the girl with shocked eyes. Her eyes were wide and pleading for him to just go along with it. _But did you have to say that after I insulted them? That's like…kicking them in the balls and after they get back up, kicking them again except even harder. Whatever, that was pretty funny._

The two guys began to cry comically when they heard that Naruto was her partner. They somehow got out of Naruto's iron grip on their shoulders and ran out of the alleyway, leaking a geyser of tears from their eyes. Naruto sweatdropped.

_Is that even possible?_

Naruto began to laugh uncontrollably the moment the two guys were gone, tears coming out of his eyes. He bent over to hold his cramping sides. Eventually, the shivers from laughing so hard diminished. Naruto looked up to face the girl. He was below her, so he was able to see her face quite easily.

"Hmm…I know it's not really my business…" Naruto got off his hands of his knees and stood up, still shaking from laughing so hard. "…but why were those two bothering you?" The young girl, probably twelve years old, raised her head and looked at Naruto. Then, she turned her head away, blushing slightly.

"I think…umm..I-I think they wanted me because th-they th-thought I was…cu-cu-cute, they said?" She finished, stammering the last word more like a question than a statement. Naruto just smiled at her, but in his head, he was screaming '_Kawaii!_'

"Did you have any partners during the boss battle? I didn't see anyone around you or protecting you so…I assumed that you were soloing." She shook her head, her nervousness clearly shown in her eyes.

"I…ah…I had two partners before the boss battle, but they ran away when they saw the spiders. I don't know where th-they are now." Now that pissed Naruto off. Two partners just leaving a young girl by herself in a boss room with forty other people running around like headless chicken? _What the hell were they thinking?_

"Why didn't you run, then? It would have been safer, and by the way the battle was going, would have been the safer choice!" He growled out, pissed at the partners that left her to fend for herself. He checked his temper when he saw the terrified expression that appeared on the girl's face. Naruto placed a reassuring smile on his face and said in a soft tone, "Next time that happens, don't stay. You should run. OK?"

The girl suddenly jerked her head up and yelled at Naruto while staring him in the eyes.

"NO!" Naruto jumped back slightly from the suddenness of the action. She continued quietly to herself, "I…" Her eyes went back to the ground, but her voice did not waver for a moment. "…I just wanted to help! I wanted to help clear the floor and get closer to finishing this game so that everyone can go home!" As she spoke, she raised her head again, facing Naruto dead in the eyes.

Silence. Not a single word was uttered for a few seconds. The girl seemed to freeze in place after she had finished yelling with passion. She began to shiver with nervousness and tremble slightly in place.

Naruto began to scrutinize her. He was definitely surprised by the outburst, especially not from a seemingly shy girl like her. And her determination was something else, almost like…him. _I don't know if this is the right choice but…hell, when is my gut feeling wrong?_ But his mind was made up.

Naruto swiped his finger downward through the air and opened his menu.

"You know…what you said…that sounded really cool." Naruto smiled widely, his eyes squinting due to the massive grin.

"Thank…you?"

The girl seemed to unfreeze and lose some of her nerves as she took a slow blink. But that caused her to recognize the situation she was in. _I'm alone in an alley…with a boy! _She began to edge backwards, looking around for a way to get free. Naruto noticed, but he ignored her actions. He continued to press buttons to maneuver around his menu until her found what he was looking for.

"But I'm not impressed with what you're wearing. I mean, you gear…"

That caused the girl to pause in her retreat. _What is he talking about?_

"What?"

"Your gear…or equipment, in complete honesty, is awful. It's under-leveled. You don't even have to tell me. You're around **Level 11** or **12**, right?" Naruto looked up from his menu for a moment, checking her facial expression for some kind of reaction to prove he was right.

Her face showed slight shock for a moment, but her silence sealed the deal. He looked back down and resumed to poke through the menu. _Let's see…ah, there we go._

"And the sword you were using…what were you thinking? Do you even know how to wield it?" Naruto asked incredulously. However, in his question was a hint of amusement, making the question sound more like a joke.

She stuck her tongue out at him in reply.

He rolled his eyes. Then, a serious expression adorned Naruto's face a moment later. _Let's get down to business._ "I don't know how you managed to join the boss raid group…but you're under-leveled and ill-equiped. That was extremely dangerous, if not a fatal mistake."

The girl gulped in fear, trembling at what the words were implying. _You could have died._

"Sorry…" Naruto looked up from his menu again to look at her. She was staring at the ground again. _Why do I have to be so mean…but I have to do this now so she understands her life is at stake._

"Sorry won't cut it if you die. You have to make the right decisions, especially where the choice could result in your continued existence or your death. Your resolve and determination are admirable, but sometimes your natural instinct to survive overrides your pride and resolve to help…" This only seemed to make the girl even more somber. She dropped her head even further, her twin pigtails somehow lowering with her mood.

"…which is why you're going to take this gear. I don't need it, and their stats are high enough to last you at least three levels. With this, maybe you can actually help everyone be one step closer to home." Naruto smiled and dropped his serious expression.

The girl looked up as her menu opened and a message appeared.

***Naruto has opened a trade menu. **

**Naruto has sent Warcloak.**

**Naruto has sent Boots of Speed. **

**Naruto has sent Belt of Dawn. **

**Naruto has sent Average Buckler.**

**Trade menu has been closed***

"Oh, and take this, too." Naruto handed her a **Toxic Vorpal Dagger **(attained from Last Attack from Second Floor)**. **"Daggers are much easier to use than swords. However, that doesn't mean they aren't just as useful. If you use them right, they're the perfect tool."

"Why…why would you help me?" She asked as she took the weapon from his hands. Naruto once again tilted his head, his eyes showing pure confusion.

"Why wouldn't I help you? I want to help everyone just as much as you do. Since I can, I just do. This was a moment I could help someone who was obviously unprepared for the real life out on the fields. Soloing is exponentially more dangerous that working with a group. If you get any kind of paralysis or status ailment similar to that, you're finished. I recommend partying until you're at least **Level 15**. And that dagger I gave you? I don't use daggers to fight. But they are really convenient to me." With that said, Naruto to turned away to leave the alleyway, but before he could take more than five steps, the girl grabbed his arm. Naruto turned to look at her.

"Yes?" Her eyes were wide and her mouth was puckered out. _Oh no, please don't do this._

"I don't have any partners or a party anymore so…can I join you?" Naruto was cursing mentally. _When will I be able to practice my abilities, then? And I'm a solo player. It also wouldn't be completely safe to be with me since I take the harder quests._

"I don't think…" He stopped when he saw her eyes get even wider and somehow began to shimmer. They seemed to be on the brink of tears and became comically wide. _Urk…Kami, NO! NOT THE PUPPY DOG EYES! _Naruto struggled mentally with himself, but eventually gave up and relented.

"Fine…" Suddenly, the girl's eyes went back to normal and she smiled happily. She let go of his arm and put them both behind her back.

"I'm Silica! And…thank you." Naruto just smiled and opened his menu to send her a party message.

***The Player Naruto would like to invite you to their party. Do you Accept/Decline?***

She accepted immediately and her smile widened as she looked up at Naruto. Naruto just grinned sheepishly back while he scratched the back of his head.

Suddenly, a 'yip' sounded from the stack of crates. Naruto and Silica both turned to see…Kurama on top of the crates. _That's where that little fox went._

Naruto waved his hand at the fox. The red fox 'yipped' again and jumped onto Naruto's shoulder, wrapping its tail around Naruto's neck like a scarf.

Suddenly, Silica was in Naruto's face, staring at the fox with stars in her eyes.

"It's so cute! Is it yours?" Naruto gave a small grin and nodded. She pointed at the fox hesitantly, and he nodded. A ridiculously large smile replaced her hesitant grin as she picked up the fox from his shoulder and gave it a death hug.

The fox began to whine and whimper, but Silica didn't recognize it as suffering. She only thought the sounds the fox made were making it even cuter, so she hugged it tighter. The fox looked to Naruto for help, but the he just began to whistle a tune and began to walk away. Silica followed Naruto with her arms wrapped around the fox in a choke hold, happily laughing and skipping through the new town's streets with her new partner.

Naruto.

**End Chapter 2**

XShuyaX

**Alternate Reality: Meeting Silica**

"I won't ever need your help! Leave me alone!" Naruto turned away from Silica and raised his hand over his shoulder as he walked away.

"OK, got it. Don't be stupid out on the fields and be careful of strangers." Before he could leave the alleyway, she screamed at him once more.

"You're a stranger!" Naruto ignored the last exclamation as he turned the corner and disappeared into a sea of people.

XShuyaX

(Time skip: 4 hours)

"Are you serious? It's only been four hours, and I'm already saving you…again." Naruto sheathed his **Anneal Blade** and stocked his dagger back into his inventory. Silica indignantly yelled at Naruto in denial. Naruto sent his pinky into his ear to excavate any hidden "treasures".

"Whatever you say, whatever you say. Are you sure you don't need to go down to the second floor to get **EXP**?"

"I'll be fine!" Naruto nodded, but knew that wouldn't be the case. He opened his menu and sent a friend request to Silica.

"Fine, but accept this so I can leave you alone. That way, I'll know if you're in trouble and where you're at." Silica accepted, but her face was still beet red with indignation.

"Then you'll never get a message from me."

"Whatever, I'm out." Naruto ran out of the forest clearing and jumped away on the trees.

XShuyaX

(Time Skip: Next day, 10:38 A.M.)

"…you said something about me never coming back again…" The girl just scratched the back of her head and laughed sheepishly, staring at the floor. Naruto was leaning against a tree with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Hehehehe…I thought I saw a dragon so…"

"Of course you did." He interrupted.

"…"

"OK, let's say you did then. Fine, but that doesn't even come close to explaining the situation you were in." Silica turned to face Naruto.

"Forty **Level 14 **wolves isn't that bad, is it…hehehe." Naruto deadpanned.

"No it isn't…for me. I can fight forty of them, and they wouldn't touch me once. I'm just wondering…where do you direct your **Stat Points to**?" Silica tilted her head and gave Naruto a confounded look.

"My what?" Silica asked. _So…this is how Kirito felt, huh? Kami, I feel so stupid now!_

XShuyaX

(Time Skip: 4 P.M.)

"…That's it, you're joining my party." Naruto opened his menu and rushed through the keys, pressing buttons and sent a message to Silica.

***The Player Naruto would like to invite you to their party. Do you Accept/Decline?***

Silica was about to press the **Decline** button until…

"I dare you to press it. I…dare…you, Silica-_chan_." When he added the suffix to her name, Silica blushed, but felt that he said it a bit strangely. She looked up at Naruto and shivered when she saw his grin smiling at her a bit too widely and somewhat creepily. She accepted immediately after.

"Good…now I can actually see your **HP **so I don't have to jump in too often now. OK, let's go on a quest to gain some EXP." Silica just nodded and followed shyly, afraid for her health if she got on the blonde's bad side.

XShuyaX

(Location: Cave)

"OK, you know how the bosses in quests are, right?" Silica shook her head, her pigtails swishing from side to side. Naruto just sighed and walked into the dark cave, beckoning her to follow.

The cave was large and cavernous, lighted only by a few torches on the walls. Suddenly, the top of the cave became luminescent, glowing white and lighting up the cave.

A large centipede crawled out from one side of the cave, moving towards the two players that entered its cave.

"Well…this game has a tendency to have really ugly bosses. Seriously though, Kayaba Akihiko…do you like bugs or something? Spider…and now a centipede? Now I have to cut through a hundred legs!" Naruto pulled out his new **Baroque Blade**. It was slightly longer than the **Anneal Blade**, but not as strong. However, it did give him a speed boost, which was why he used it.

"Naruto…yesterday you said that even forty wolves couldn't touch you, right?" Naruto nodded, concurring with Silica's statement. It was true…at least to him.

"So, you want to see me go all-out, right? If I do…you won't be able to fight the boss at all. Well, you're in the party so you'll get the EXP, col, and items, so it's no big deal for you." Naruto nodded and pulled out his **Anneal Blade** and gripped it with his left hand.

_Dual wield? He can actually use two blades?_

"I can't use two blades at the same time…or I can't use **Sword Skills** on both blades. But…" The centipede screeched and began to walk towards Naruto. Naruto deadpanned.

"…I don't even need to be able to them. Kami, this boss is so…" Naruto blurred away from vision.

_Where did he go?_ Silica was turning her head, looking around the cave for a blonde head.

Naruto blurred back next to Silica and restocked his **Anneal Blade **into his inventory.

"…slow." Suddenly, the boss screeched once more, but this time in pain. All hundred of its legs disappeared, a bright red mark indicating its missing appendages. Naruto pointed at the Centipede Boss.

"Just go ahead and kill it. Kami, that was boring." Naruto yawned and stretched out his body. Silica just stared at Naruto in awe.

_He's…the __**Dark Flash**__? _

Silica got over her shock when she heard the boss screech once more. She gripped her dagger and ran in, activating a **Sword Skill **as she closed the distance. When she was close enough, she jumped into the air and landed on top of the centipede.

"HAHHH!" She brought down her glowing blue dagger on the Centipede. It writhed for a few moments, its screeches getting weaker and weaker. Then, it exploded into blue polygons.

***Congratulations! You have leveled up!***

_Hmm…__**Level 22 **__now. I'll add my points later._

Silica landed on her feet after falling two meters with nothing to support her in midair. She walked over to Naruto. He was grinning.

"You never told me you were the **Dark Flash**." Naruto's grin widened.

"Is that what people call me now? I never knew that." For some reason, Naruto's smile made Silica feel strange. She felt her chest get warmer and feel more…complete. Unknown to her, Naruto had already forced his way into some part of her heart after saving her three times and after that, forcing her into his party just to protect her.

"Ye-yeah. Anyways, how did I do?" Naruto turned away from her for a moment, staring at where the giant Centipede stood a few moments before. Then, he turned and grinned at Silica.

"Your dagger skills can use some work…but otherwise, good job!" He gave her a thumbs-up and a wide smile. She blushed, but gave a small grin back.

"OK, let's go back to town! I want to complete some more quests!" Naruto turned to walk out of the cave. Silica immediately began to follow behind him.

"Ha-hai!"

**End Chapter**

**A/N: Hmm…this chapter could've been better…I think. Nope, I know.**

**Anyways, let's get some stuff out of the way. If you want something to happen next chapter, let me know in your reviews. No Silica and Naruto fluff…yet. That'll be much later in the story, most likely. However, I will keep this pairing for the story. The reviews have spoken.**

**Please, review. I beg of you. I implore with…with a cherry on top…unless you're allergic to cherries. Then I offer you ramen, Kami's gift to mankind.**


	4. Chapter 3: Silica's First Quests

**Chapter 3: Silica's First Quests and Goodbye**

**Happy New Years! Or…New Year's Eve! Whatever…but seriously! Here's to you all with a new update to Naruto, the Dark Flash!**

**I made it! It's not New Year's yet! Screw that! Yea!**

**Don't hurt me please. I'm begging you. I edited the chapter slightly because the food thing made the characters seem...out of character.**

**I'm going crazy! 197 followers? 137 favorites? 34 reviews? Over 6,000 hits? Thanks so much guys for reading my first fanfiction! Thank you all so much and a Happy New Year's to all of you. Just stay in bed and enjoy the warmth while you read your FFN stories. :D You guys are the best.**

**Holy crap…this chapter took forever. I had to think about this chapter for a while, and then think some more on how to write it. I think that it was pretty good, but that later chapters will be better.**

**OK, whatever. **

**So, this isn't going to happen yet, but how does "Kokuei Senkou" sound for Naruto's name nickname? **

**Well, to the review Responses!**

**Mrz90: Thanks again! I still haven't given Naruto any real specialty, and I put some limiters to Naruto. While he has some benefits to chakra, he will not have some abilities that all the others players in the game have, as you will see in this chapter. I hope you enjoy this and thank you very much for your review! Happy New Years!**

**Vandenbz: Man, when I heard about Naruto's Kage Bunshin ability, I was like…'dude, all that time and ability wasted'. If he just spammed clones to practice and train, he would've been so much stronger. You're idea about Lisbeth is actually really good! Thanks for the idea and I think I may use that. And woot! All the grammar mistakes! Thank you soooo much! I'll go back to those chapters so readers won't be like 'gah, my eyes! They burn from za grammar!' Thanks man! I try to make things funny…and it's great you liked the Omake! I don't that I'll do those too often, though.**

**Dragon and Sword Master: Yea…I gave them mana because I wanted the players to have some kind of energy source. Naruto has chakra, which is kind of like mana, which can still strengthen the players, only that chakra is a lot denser. Mana, like chakra, can speed up players and increase their strength. Just so that Naruto wasn't too overpowered, I had to add that small detail.**

**Flaming Kyuubi: Thanks man! I appreciate that you reviewed and read my story! Naruto will be stronger than all the other players, but he will not be so overpowered that he will be like a god to them. They have mana, which they could use like chakra to strengthen their attacks and speed up their movements, but they can't do anything elemental with it. Because Naruto does not have mana, he can't do certain things that the other players can. Just a small precaution to make him not too overpowered.**

**Eniox27: Hehe, meh…I ate all the ramen, sorry…thanks for the review and I appreciate it much…yo, the appreciation is real. Sage mode? Hmm…you're just going to have to wait and see. Why? Because…hehe…that's…hehe…a secret! Boom. Again. Haha, I used that almost every time in your responses I think. Sorry.**

**Ahlerot: Agreed. Haha. I tried, so I'm thankful you think that way.**

**Hyrulian Hero Akai: Thanks! I don't know, I think that having an idea and just writing it down will surprise you. I just had an idea, and this came out of it! Imagine my surprise! Yea! Swapping ideas sounds great! We can make both of our stories better and more believable, ya!**

**Hiei-Uchiha: Here's your update and thank you for the review! I tried and I hope you like this chapter. :D**

** .bailey: Thanks man! Nah, it wasn't insulting. If anything, that made me want to try harder to make it slightly slower and keep a constant pace, but try and keep the attention of the reader, you catching my flow? You know? Cool. Haha, here's your chapter, matey.**

**Adiermartrus15: OK, when I first saw your review, I was like…'wut? I don't even…' and then I got it. Yea, I'm going to do all 100 floors. Or at least, I'm going to try.**

**DraconicElf: Cherries for the win! They taste so good and…OK…did not mean it that way. But still! I'm glad you think my story came out as a success. I'll be working hard to try and keep up with everyone's expectations.**

**Tsukiko Ryuu: Thanks man for the review! Oh…pistol wielding sounds…more like Gun Gale Online. I think throwing pebbles with throwing skills would work just fine but…I'm not going to do that. Just dagger, haha. Sorry. Trusty dragon though, I'm totally cool with.**

**Seductive Apple: Awww…don't say that! You're story was one of the reasons I decided to write a SAO/Naruto crossover. It was new and I liked it, so I was like…'yo, I gotta try this or else I'll always be life…what if'. So thank you! And thanks for the compliment.**

**And special thanks to Tama-Saga! Thanks much. The appreciation is real.**

**Whew…wow that took a while. Didn't know there was that many. Am I supposed to go through all of them, haha?**

**Disclaimer: **

**Naruto: Don't you know? This fool doesn't own me, any characters from Sword Art Online, or the world of Aincrad or anything to do with Sword Art Online.**

**Me: Why did you say that so cruelly?**

**Naruto: …I'm sorry, did you say something?**

**Edited slightly. No more food rants, sorry. Too out of character. Also, made miscount on Naruto's level, so I had to do it again.**

**Chapter 3:**

Naruto and Silica were walking through the streets of the town, enjoying the new sights and feel of it. The NPC's all wore different clothing from the second and first floor. The houses were based off a different era, most likely the Japanese dynasty period. The stone pavement was replaced with a long concrete pathway, beautiful sakura trees adorning the sides of the roads.

Naruto had both of his hands on the back of his head as he whistled a wistful tune. _Wild…flower blossoming. I beg of you… _**(A/N: This is Euterpe from Guilty Crown)**

Kurama had somehow gotten out of Silica's deathgrip and was now walking and 'yipping' at everything he saw. Silica's eyes were wide with wonder as she turned and gaped at all the new styles and changes to the third floor.

"So, what do you want to do?" Silica turned to Naruto when he asked the question. Naruto was turned the opposite way as he stared at a **quest board**. It had one request paper stapled on it.

"I don't know. What do you want to do in this floor, Naruto-san?" Naruto turned his head and poked Silica on the forehead.

"Ah~, so mean."

"No –san, or anything formal attachments to my name; It makes me feel old. Besides, you're not even that much younger than me." Silica stopped rubbing her forehead and pouted at Naruto. He just smiled back. "My goal on every floor is to finish every quest. There might be some rare items, and they're always a good source of **EXP **and col."

Silica nodded her head in response. "So, where can we get quests?"

"Usually, they're all over the place. On the second floor, when I was walking on a forest path, I suddenly was forced into a quest without my own consent. But it wasn't too bad; I just had to survive in the forest by myself for the whole night." Silica gulped.

_How strong is he?_

"Could you quit during the quest?" She asked curiously. Naruto nodded his head.

"I could have…but the quest description and results were appealing enough for me to keep it. Eh…whatever, let's just get a quest. There's a request board back there; we just passed it." Naruto and Silica both turned around to check the board.

On a green board with golden trims on its side, there was a single request stapled onto the board. **Requesting Waiters and Maids**.

_Oh hell no, I'm not doing this._

Naruto turned swiftly away from the board and began to walk away. Silica, however, grabbed onto his arm to stop him. Naruto glanced back and saw Silica glaring up at him. _We are not doing this. No, I will deny it!_

"Where are you going?" Naruto waved his hand over his shoulder, acting as nonchalant as possible.

"We don't need this quest. Someone else can do it." He tried to walk away, but Silica's hand was somehow preventing him from moving. _She's a lot stronger than she looks._

"Didn't you just say that your goal was to finish _every_ quest on _every _floor? So, are you already giving up on your goal?" Silica's eyes narrowed as she increased her glare. Naruto just stayed silent and kept a completely ignorant face.

Finally, he opened his mouth to respond and said –

"I'm sorry, did you say something?" Silica, however, didn't know about Naruto's antics and quirks, so she repeated herself.

"Ah, no. I'm just saying I'm not going to be a waiter." Silica turned around to look at the paper, assessing the rewards and results. Then, she turned back to Naruto.

"You said that quests are a good source of **EXP **and col. This quest rewards plenty, so why don't we just do it. Besides…" she began to pucker her lips and her eyes widened comically wide. _Shit shit shit! No, don't look…fuck!_

"I want to do this quest. I've always wanted to try to serve people." Her eyes began to sparkle while an illusion of sparkles and a sunset glowing orange, reflecting its light on a vast ocean crashing on a beach played behind her.

_I'm not going to do it, I don't care. I'm not going to do it. I'm not going to…_

**XShuyaX**

(Time Skip: One hour)

"Welcome to Kevil's Restaurant and Bar!" A blonde teenager with spiky hair walked up to the entrance and walked the two customers to their booth. He handed them two menus, gave them a quick smile, and walked away.

As soon as he turned around, he dropped his smile and frowned. _I'm going to the employee's room. My __**Kage Bunshin **__is probably still meditating._ Naruto walked past the cashier box, walked down to the end of the walkway, and pushed open a door that said **Employees Only**.

Naruto looked around. No one was inside. He walked across the room and went into a random bathroom stall. Inside, however, was a clone of Naruto meditating on top of the toilet bowl. _Disperse!_ The clone 'poofed' out of existence, sending all of its experience and chakra control to Naruto.

***Congratulations! You have leveled up!***

_Huh? I thought that clones couldn't…oh wait…they couldn't do the last hit on monsters. But, they're sending their experience and knowledge to me. So that means…since the clones meditated and I gain all their memories, the game assumes that I meditated for an hour._

"He he he….hahaha!" Naruto began to laugh and cackle. _This is such a cheat! Hell yes!_ Naruto ran out of the stall and bumped into another employee that gave him a strange look. Understandably, he was probably confused by why a person was laughing manically in the stall.

Naruto rolled up his sleeves as he ran out of the restaurant and through the streets. After five minutes, Naruto reached the exit of the town. He turned around to check for another other players in the vicinity.

_Don't think anyone's over here yet. It's only been open for an hour, and the __**Teleport Gate**__ will open in about fifteen minutes. __**Kage Bushin no Jutsu!**_

Fifty clones 'poofed' into existence, all looking at the original. Every one of them was dressed in the same clothing. A white collar button down shirt with black dress pants with a belt buckle.

"I want you all to go to the woods and meditate for five hours."

"Hai, Boss!"

Naruto waved his hand through the air, and all the clones disappeared, looking for their own quiet spot in the forest.

Naruto turned around to continue his 'quest'. He sighed. _This is so stupid._

Naruto began his run beck to his 'quest'. Five minutes later, he was back at the restaurant and opened the entrance. He covered his arms with his sleeves and prepared to serve again. As he walked back to his station, he passed by the bar and saw Silica smiling at some players drinking alcohol. He didn't have anything to do at the moment, so he went over to talk to her.

"How are you doing, Silica?" The new bar maid turned to Naruto and smiled.

"It's actually a lot of fun! A lot of the customers compliment me a lot and give me a lot of tip!"

_Geh, just because she's a girl. Whatever, I got some tip, too. _

"Do you actually know all of the alcohol? You seem pretty young to know beer and stuff like that." Silica pouted, but a triumphant quickly replaced it. She began to point at each of the bottles and drinks on the counter.

"The one that's bubbly is Coor's Life; that blue one is Samuel Ages; the one that feels strange over there is Hard Limeade…" and so Silica went on and on, pointing out alcohols by their strange appearance or texture.

Naruto sweatdropped. _There's labels on them, Silica. Just read them._

He patted her on the shoulder and went back to his position. He sat on a chair, his legs crossed and his hands behind his head. _And…just another five hours to go._

The entrance to the building opened again. Two people came in through the door, but the sunlight made it difficult for Naruto to see.

"Welcome to Ke…what?" Naruto immediately got up when he saw the two people. It was Kirito and Asuna.

The two both cracked a smirk. Kirito raised his hand to chest height and brought up two fingers.

"Table for two, please." Naruto grunted while he grabbed his menu.

"Follow me…asshole." Kirito just chuckled while Asuna smiled at the two boy's relationship. Naruto quickly placed them at a booth and gave them two menus.

"I'll come back in five minutes later. Please be prepared to choose your food." Naruto turned and walked away from the table.

_Damn you, Argo. I know you gave Kirito the information._

**XShuyaX**

(Time Skip: 1 hour)

"I hope you enjoyed your meal…now leave." Kirito and Asuna had just finished their lunch. Kirito had ordered a hamburger with fries while Asuna asked for steak and pastries.

_Of course she did._

"Is that how you talk to your customers, Naruto? How do you get any tip?" Naruto just scoffed.

"Please…when you're sexy like me, you don't need to even talk. Just hand them a menu and grunt." Kirito smirked and Asuna playfully stuck her tongue out at Naruto. Their playful banter continued for another minute before Kirito began to walk away, his hand waving over his shoulder.

When Kirito had left the restaurant, Asuna began to giggle to herself, her hand over her mouth. Naruto turned to her.

"Now what, Asuna? And what were you doing with Kirito?" Asuna raised her eyes to Naruto and smiled.

"We just came to bother you. Interesting quest you're doing, Naruto…never imagined seeing you as a waiter. It suits you." Naruto grinned and pointed his thumb at himself.

"That's just 'cuz I'm sexy like that." Asuna giggled again.

"Of course you are, Naruto. And what was I doing with Kirito? Is someone…jealous?" The two of them had walked out of the restaurant. Every hour on the quest, Naruto was allowed a five minute break.

Naruto began to laugh and bent his head, his face looking up at the sky. After about twenty seconds, Naruto calmed down enough to speak with only a small trace of amusement in his voice.

"Of course I would miss you guys if it had been a long time, but it's only been a day. And no, I'm not jealous. Not when I have a pretty girl in my own party." Asuna perked up at this and whipped her head to face Naruto.

"You partied with someone? Who is it? Will you show me? Do I know her?" Asuna began to gun off questions without taking a breath. Naruto raised both of his hands to try to stop and placate her. Asuna took the hint and closed her mouth.

After a moment, Naruto answered.

"Yes, I partied with someone. Her name is Silica. She's the bar maid inside the restaurant; don't even know why she's working at the bar in the first place; she's too young. Haha, but she's stubborn, really stubborn… and determined. She even forced to me do this quest when I was about to walk away." Naruto scratched the back of his head while he laughed sheepishly.

"I see…well, I'll see you later, Naruto. When we meet up again, introduce us, OK?"

"Sure. See you, Asuna." Asuna winked with one eye and walked away. Naruto just waved and walked back inside the restaurant.

_And…crap. This sucks. Another two hours._

Naruto turned his gaze to the bar. Silica was still smiling and laughing as he handed out drinks to the customers. It was a lot more busy over at the bar than the restaurant. A dark cloud seemed to appear over Naruto as he began to sulk.

_Just because she's a girl…_

However, just as Naruto was about to trudge over to the restaurant counter and sat with his legs crossed, a bar fight ensued.

"Hey, she's mine!"

"Hell no, man! Back off the new bar maid!"

"I just ordered tenth glass from her! What do you guys think - ow! Fuck you, take this!"

And the fight continued, gradually getting larger until every guy at the bar was fighting. Silica was shivering, her hands shaking as she held onto the glass of alcohol. She was freaking out at the fact that she had possibly caused the bar fight.

Naruto grinned sadistically as he walked over to the bar.

_Finally, SOMETHING_ _to do on this quest!_

He punched the closest person in the stomach, knocking him out. He continued to guide his way through the mass of fighting men, just punching and constantly knocking people out with a grin on his face the whole time. Only two minutes later, all twenty three men were on the ground, knocked out.

Silica's face paled even more. What was Naruto thinking?

"Naruto! We can't do that! And why did you knock them out! Kami, all of them are knocked out!"

Naruto just turned to her lazily while he cleaned out his ear with his pinky. Then, he pointed at the men on the floor.

"They're not knocked out." Silica stared at Naruto, then the men on the floor, then back at him.

"They're...not? Then what are they?" Suddenly, a sadistic smile replaced the bored look on his face as he turned his back to her.

"I don't know...BUT THEY'RE 'KNOCKED OUT' NOW! Naruto proceeded to kick each person on the floor, sending him flying out the entrance of the building. Silica just cried while Naruto continued to kick every person at the bar though the entrance.

**XShuyaX**

(Time Skip: 2 hours)

_Finally. Let's see…the clones should send their experience to me about…now._

Right when Naruto thought it, constant jingles went off in his head.

***Congratulation! You have leveled up!***

***Congratulation! You have leveled up!***

***Congratulation! You have leveled up!***

***Congratulation! You have leveled up!***

***Congratulation! You have leveled up!***

***Congratulation! You have leveled up!***

Naruto smirked and was about to open his stats menu until another message registered into his menu.

***Due to a patch, the player will gain EXP from only one clone. All other parameters to gaining EXP will remain. Only the original can gain EXP by performing the last attack. However, he can still gain the mental and chakra benefits from clones. **

**Thank you and enjoy your day and the rest of your stay in SAO***

Naruto stayed silent a moment, his finger hovering over his holographic menu.

"Biiiiitch…I hate you, Kayaba Akihiko. Whatever, I got what I wanted." Naruto closed the message and went back to his stats menu.

**Character: Naruto**

**Level: 28**

**Stats:**

**Points: 28**

**Strength: 67 (+8)**

**Defense: 46(+6)**

**Agility: 120(+4)**

**Intelligence: 55(+4)**

**Luck: 155(+0)**

**Chakra Pool: 1299/?**

**Chakra Control: 1000/1000***

**Academy Chakra Control: 87/1000**

**Sword: 352/1000**

**Dagger: 321/1000**

**Abilities:**

**Horizontal: 1000/1000***

**Horizontal Square: 0/1000**

**Slant: 0/1000**

**Vertical: 1000/1000***

**Vertical Square: 0/1000**

**Kawamiri no Jutsu: 932/1000**

**Henge: 12/1000**

**Bunshin no Jutsu: 102/1000**

**Kage Bunshin no Jutsu: 543/1000**

**Tree Walking: 931/1000**

**Water Walking: 243/1000**

**Kunai Spin Chakra Control: 0/1000**

**Dynamic Entry: 5/1000**

**Leaf Whirlwind: 4/1000**

**A Lost Art: ?/?**

**Special Abilites:**

**Points: 26**

**Hear My Roar: 2/9**

**Becoming the Flash: 0/50**

Naruto focused all of his new stats points to **Agility**, pressing it twenty-eight times. He scrolled through his abilities, noticing the asterisks next to the abilities that had **1000/1000**.

_The'rey probably chained onto something. Explains why I have new abilities right below them. Wait…what the hell is __**Academy Chakra Control**__…don't tell me that…oh hell no. I'm reading the description._

Naruto sat down on a bench inside the employee's rest room and narrowed his eyes in concentration as he read the description on each of his new stats and abilities.

_**Academy Chakra Control**__:_

_After the basic __**Chakra Control**__ has been completed, the player continues his way to gaining perfect chakra control. __**Academy Chakra Control**__ is the next step towards gaining perfect chakra control, but still a far cry from perfection. However, the basic __**Chakra Control**__ stats can no longer be affected in any way. A sudden surge in __**Chakra Pool**__ can possibly bring the current __**Academy Chakra Control**__ down to __**0/1000**__, but it cannot affect the basic __**Chakra Control**__. _

Naruto sighed as he closed the description box. _Damn, if I'm only at __**Academy Chakra Control**__, how far am I from perfect control? _He ignored the **Kunai Spin Chakra Control **and continued to scroll down to the abilities and pressed on **Horizontal Square** and **Vertical Square.**

_**Horizontal Square:**_

_This is a four-hit combo skill. The first hit is a horizontal swing from left to right, followed by another horizontal swing from right to left. At this point, the user spins their body in a full circle and unleashes a third horizontal strike from right to left. Finally, the sword suddenly springs right and up. After the skill is completed, a 2D sky-blue rhombus, drawn by the sword, flashes and then scatters._

_**Vertical Square:**_

_This is a four-hit combo skill. Vertical Square is activated with a powerful stamp. The first strike of this Sword Skill is a vertical slash without a backward motion, similar to the 1-hit Vertical. However, instead of finishing after the first swing, the first slash is followed by a left to right swing from below and then a vertical slash down. Finally, the skill is concluded with a full-power overhead slash (uppercut). Similarly to the Horizontal Square, a square is drawn with the 4 hits of this skill and continues to spin as it dissipates._

Naruto rubbed his chin as he read the new **Sword Skills** he gained. _Interesing…I'll just use the __**Sword Skills**__ and master them to see if they chain off to something else. But I don't really need them on this floor until the boss. _

Naruto closed the two descriptions boxes and scrolled down further to check out his **Special Abilities.**

_There's no way to affect my __**Basic Control**__ now, so why don't I just finish __**Hear My Roar**__. _

Finding no flaw in his logic, Naruto pressed on **Hear My Roar** seven times, and then checked his chakra stats. As he had expected, his **Academy Chakra Control** went straight down to zero. But his **Chakra Pool**…

"Holy shit! It went up to **9,999!** But why would it stop right there?" Naruto pressed on the ability to see if there was any additional information he had missed since the last time he had seen it. At the bottom of the description box, he found it.

_**Hear My Roar:**_

_Player had completed first level of this special ability. Until player reaches __**Genin Chakra Control**__, his chakra capacity cannot increase._

"Great…another limiter. Let's see…what's **Becoming the Flash**?"

_**Becoming the Flash**_**:**

_This special ability is a passive ability that will permanently increase the player's speed by a certain percentage. When all of the points are completed, the player's permanent speed is doubled.  
Can only be unlocked by: __**Agility**__ stat of __**125.**_

"Well…that's nice. I'm definitely putting all of my points into that instead of **Hear My Roar **when I get the second level of it. I've never actually had to use all of my chakra until this morning." Naruto pressed **Becoming the Flash** eighteen times as he got up from the bench.

"Let's see if Silica is ready to go." Naruto changed his clothes and walked out of the employee's room. When he reentered the restaurant, he turned his head from side to side to search for his new party member. Then, he saw her.

"There she is…" Silica was sitting at the bar counter, sitting on a chair by herself. Her fingers were intertwined, her hands on her lap. Her face was looking straight ahead of her, obviously lost in her own thoughts.

Naruto walked over her and put his hand on her head. Silica woke up from her trance and looked to up Naruto. Then, she smiled.

"Ready to go?" Silica nodded and jumped off the chair.

"Oof…Okey dokey, let's go!" When they walked out of the restaurant, it was already evening.

"So…was it worth it?" Naruto put both of his hands in his pocket as he turned his head to look at the setting sun looming over the mountains. The shadows danced over the mountains as the sky became tan and colored orange. It was…picturesque at the least. _Beautiful._

Silica turned to Naruto and was about to answer until she saw him turned away. She noticed he was staring off into the distance. Wanting to know what he was looking at, she looked off to the distance and saw the sunset. It immediately captivated her. The two of them stayed like that for a moment, captivated by the beauty of the sun setting, the lights reflecting off their eyes.

"Sometimes…I don't feel like we're in a game. I wish every moment was like this…" Naruto whispered to himself. _If only…_

"It was worth it…" Silica began. Naruto turned his head from the sunset to look at her. She was still staring at the sunset. Then, she shifted her gaze to Naruto.

"…to walk out and be greeted by something like this…it was worth it." Naruto nodded his head.

"Did you level up?" Silica's mood suddenly shifted as she broke out a huge smile and brought up two fingers in the victory sign.

"Yup!" Naruto smirked and began to walk through the streets. _If only she knew how much I leveled up…screw you, Kayaba Akihiko. _

The sunset continued to light the town, captivating all its viewers until it disappeared nearly an hour later. Naruto and Silica sat in an outside bench, calmly eating their hamburger and ice cream, staring at the sunset until it disappeared from sight.

**XShuyaX**

(Time Skip: Next morning, 8 A.M.)

Naruto was leaning against an alleyway wall. He tapped his foot to an imaginary song that was playing in his head. After about another five minutes, a girl with two pigtails on each side of her head ran into the alleyway, panting and out of breath.

"Haa…haa…so-sorry, Naruto…I-I'm…haa…" Silica was bent over with her hands on her knees, breathing heavily. Naruto turned his gaze on her and just smiled calmly.

"It's fine. I'm not really a morning person myself. I just told you to wake up early because most people don't go out to the fields until nine. Did you eat breakfast?" Silica managed to nod her head, but she continued to pant.

"Hmm…let's go. If you walk, the game system should take care of your physical fatigue. That way, you won't slow down during any strenuous movements out on the field." Naruto shifted his feet and began to walk away.

"Haa…wait for me…haa…" Silica got off her knees and walked quickly to catch up Naruto, her short legs moving faster to keep up the blonde.

**XShuyaX**

(Time Skip: 3 hours later)

"Good job! Instead of stabbing though, you should've slashed with the dagger. Even though the dagger has a shorter reach, you can still slash and do considerable damage. It doesn't hurt that a single prick from your dagger can inflict poison." Silica turned and smiled at Naruto as he complimented her.

"OK, let's keep going." Silica's smile dropped. They had been farming and grinding for three hours. Before they had begun to farm and grind, they had spent an hour picking a quest, walking out of town and just walking around the fields looking for a place with no other players. When they had found their empty field, they began to grind **EXP** for three hours straight without a single break.

_How much stamina does Naruto-san have?_

"Can we please take a break?" Naruto stopped walking and looked back at her. Then, he looked at the sky, as if to check the time. The sun was at its zenith, its hot rays beating unmercifully on every person beneath its radiance. He looked away from the sun as he swiped in finger downwards through the air. When his menu opened, Naruto checked the map.

"We're about five minutes away from the quest location. Sure, let's take a small break." Naruto sat down on the grass and checked his inventory for food. He had an abundance of pastries in case he partied with Asuna again in the future. Scrolling down further, he found what he was looking for.

"Ramen!" Ten bowls of ramen flashed into view, all of them landing on the ground next to Naruto. Naruto picked up one greedily and was about to take his first bite until-

"Is that…healthy? How can you eat all that ramen?" Naruto jerked his head at Silica's remark. _How dare she…speak such a thing about Kami's gift to mankind!?_

"How can I? Ramen is Kami's gift to all of mankind! It was brought down from the heavens and…"

**XShuyaX**

(Location: North Mountaintop)

A swordsman with black hair and a frail face shivered.

"I don't know why…but I feel like Naruto is giving one of his ramen speeches again. I sympathize with whoever is at the receiving end."

Kirito gave a bow in a random direction, and then continued to walk up the path at a leisurely pace, destroying monsters calmly as he walked.

**XShuyaX**

(Time Skip: 2 hours later)

"…and when ramen first entered the world, the daimyos of the worl-" Silica just got up and Naruto straight in the face.

"Baka, ENOUGH! I don't even know how I kept up with you for two hours." Naruto fell to the ground. When he looked at Silica and shivered in fear. Her hair was defying gravity as it flowed upwards, her eyes glowing red. She palmed her fist.

"Naruto…any food _other_ than ramen is fine. _Anything!_ Ramen is extremely unhealthy. It has preservatives, a lot of sodium, lots more of fat, and plenty of MSG! You really should be eating healthier food. Anything, but not ramen. Even smoothies are better. They are so smooth and creamy; they leave such a great aftertaste…"

Naruto's face paled more and more as he listened to the blasphemy spoken from this heretic woman.

_How dare she?_

"No!" He interrupted Silica. "Ramen is Kami's gift! She personally brought it down to the cavemen hundreds of thousands of years ago! She brought fire to mankind and gave ramen as the first cooked food!"

Silica gained a dangerous gleam in her eyes as she turned to Naruto.

"What...did I just say?" Naruto ignored it. He was stronger in the game, so what can she do?

"Ramen is the gift from Kami above! There's no mistake - WOAH!" Naruto dodged an incoming dagger that flew at his face.

"What the hell! That was dangero - Hey!" Silica charged at him with her sword, the blade gleaming blue.

Naruto defended himself against Silica's wild attacks. Eventually, he began to laugh as he fought, enjoying the moment.

"Swing that a little to your left next time."

"Your overstepping all of your stabs."

"Make sure than you right hand isn't gripping the hilt too tightly."

Silica was still completely focused as she yelled and charged at the blonde, throwing swings and **Sword Skills** at him.

The two fought, or one fought, until sundown, while the other just laughed, their quest completely forgotten.

**XShuyaX**

(Time Skip: 11:28)

"Damn it. We got too caught up in our argument." Naruto and Silica were walking through the streets of the town. They had barely finished their quest in time. Thirty minutes before the quest timer ran out, the two received a notice stating that they were running out of time. The two-man party made a temporary truce on their beliefs on Kami's gift to mankind and barely finished the quest in time.

"It's not my fault. You were the one that brought up ramen and spent two hours telling me about its so called greatness. And then you didn't even try to stop me from fighting. Well...eat something healthier than ramen, Naruto...smoothies at least." Naruto's head creaked to the side, his blank eyes staring down on Silica. His face was shadowed by the darkness, giving his a ghostly appearance.

"Did…you…say…something?" Silica immediately gained the same complexion, her eyes becoming a black, dull void, and her face becoming just as shadowed.

"Ramen…"

"At least smoothies…"

"Kami's gift is ramen…"

"Rice...pork...meat...bacon...

"RAAAMMMMMMENNN!" Silica's eyes gleamed red as she suddenly appeared next to Naruto and shut him up by bashing him on the head.

Naruto, however, did not stop and continued screaming his favorite food in the world.

"RAAAMEEEENNNN!"

"SHUT UP!" All the people in the neighborhood somehow yelled in unison at Naruto...who was outside with a girl past their curfew. Naruto and Silica jumped in surprise at the sudden outburst by all of the people in the vicinity.

"Go to sleep or something!"

"Get a room!"

"Scream somewhere else!"

A moment of silence passed between the two after all of the neighbors became silent. Naruto then began to laugh uncontrollably, his head thrown back as he held his sides. Silica joined him, giggling and laughing.

After about a minute, the two managed to gain control of their sniggers and began to walk again.

"My place is over there. Where's yours?" Naruto pointed to a hotel down the street in the west.

"Huh? The inn I'm staying at is right next to it. I'm that one right there." Silica pointed at an inn that was just across the street from the hotel.

"Oh…OK. Well, that makes things much easier." The two walked together until they were both in front of their respective places for the night.

"See you."

"G' night."

The two opened the entrance to their respective places and walked in, neither looking back.

**XShuyaX**

(Time Skip: 3 days)

"Mm…Silica. What level are you now?" Naruto and Silica were walking through the streets of the town lazily, just enjoying the sun and resting. They had gotten into a certain routine: meeting up at 9 A.M., finishing three quests during the day, and going to sleep at around 10 P.M. The whole day, they would be out on the fields farming monsters for experience and completing quests. Naruto always left a couple **Kage Bunshin** in areas that couldn't be seen so that they could either meditate or work on their chakra control.

Silica opened her menu. She pressed her chin with her index finger as she stared down at the holographic menu.

"I'm **Level 15** now. That's good, right?" Naruto smiled and nodded his head.

"Yea, that's good. On this floor, you'll be able to solo easily now. You'll gain more **EXP **from every monster soloing, too, so your leveling up process will speed up as well."

Silica seemed to catch the meaning behind Naruto's words.

_I'm going to dissolve this party._

Her face drooped and shifted into a downcast look. Despite not knowing Naruto for a long time, he was a fun person to hang out with. The past four days of being with him were some of the best days of her life. She did meet her friends and schools and have sleepovers, but the sleepovers were far and few in between. As for parties, she wasn't really a party person. So hanging out with Naruto, a completely upbeat and funny person was a completely new experience…even arguing about Kami's gift was funny in retrospect to her, despite still believing he was completely wrong.

"So…will I see you again?" Naruto caught the slight sadness in the way she spoke. He placed a reassuring smile on his face as he turned to face her.

"Of course you'll see me again. I'm not going to do die, and I'm at every boss meeting and battle. If you want to see me, become strong enough to join us. Besides, we can always party up later and team up during boss battles." Naruto placed his hand on top of her head and grinned wider, his eyes squinting.

"Be good and be careful of strangers, OK, Silica-chan?" Silica blushed at the suffix added to her name and looked down at the floor. She stayed silent for a moment, but after five seconds, she raised her head to face Naruto. She was smiling again.

"OK, Naruto. Goodbye." Naruto's grin dropped slightly, but he was still smiling.

"I don't believe in goodbyes. It makes me sound like I'm leaving for a long time or you won't see me again. So I always say "See you" or something like that. This isn't goodbye, OK."

Naruto patted the top of her head again reassuringly. His grin widened again, forcing him to close his eyes.

"I'll see you again." Silica's eyes widened. Then, she smiled too, her eyes closed due to the size of her smile.

"See you soon."

Naruto patted her head one more time, and then let his hand drop to his side. Naruto swiped his hand downwards through the air and pressed a few buttons in his menu. He looked up at Silica and smiled reassuringly.

***The Party has been dissolved***

He then turned around and walked away from her, becoming one of the few thousand people walking animatedly in the bustling town.

**XShuyaX**

(Time Skip: 1 hour)

"Haa…haa…haa…hell…yea! Haa…haa…" Naruto wiped the sweat off his brow and got off his knees. He had just fought against his clones to train his **Sword **and **Dagger** skill level, taking his training to the maximum.

He was back on the second floor on the mountaintop with the Old Master. The old man was currently sitting to the side, sipping on a cup of tea as he assessed Naruto's strength.

"Hm…" The old man never stopped drinking his tea as he began his criticisms. "It seems that thou have gotten much stronger and faster since the last thy have last seen you. Also, thou seem to be more aware of the world around thou, although I am certain thou dost not yet understand what I mean by this."

Naruto nodded his head, the sweating dripping off his face due to the jerky motion. _Yup, don't know what you're talking about by that last one, gramps._

"However, thou are still wasting some movements in thou strikes, and thou always stutter thou steps when thou are perplexed or think too much during a battle. Thou must empty thou mind, but be completely aware at the same time. To not waste a single movement is to be graceful, yet deadly. That…is the pinnacle of any art form."

Naruto turned his head to face the old man. He opened his stats and scrutinized them for any changes. Other than the **Sword **and **Dagger** stats, nothing else changed. He did leave a few hundred **Kage Bunshin** near the river to work on his chakra control and **Water Walking**. No matter what, Naruto always left a few clones somewhere training and meditating, whether it is on the mountaintop or in a random forest.

"How much longer until I can learn what you want to teach me, gramps?"

"Gramps…ho ho ho ho…interesting. Well, I will teach thou…when thou can best me in combat." Naruto raised an eyebrow at that. However, he quickly realized how daunting the task really was.

_If he's anything like my grandfather…well shit. That's going to be impossible. Screw breaking the rock, THIS is really impossible!_

But Naruto was Naruto, and he never gave up, no matter what the odds. He promised to himself that he would save everyone, and nothing would stand in his way. If he had to fight an impossible to defeat Master of Arts and fight with the chance of winning being zero to a hundred, he would somehow make a way to win, despite the fact it was 'impossible'.

_Impossible…is just an idea. That's not really true…because humans can always become better than other humans._

"He he he…HAHAHA! That sounds great, gramps! Just wait! I'll be your successor before you know it!" The old man chuckled, his body jerking with the movement. Suddenly, he disappeared from sight.

Naruto's eyes widened when the Master disappeared. _Where did he…BEHIND ME!_ However, it was already too late for Naruto to respond. A hand placed itself onto Naruto's shoulder to prevent him from moving. Naruto's eyes got even wider with shock.

_I couldn't even move…even with my __**Agility Stats**__. What kind of monster is he?_

Naruto turned his head to see the old man staring at him, his narrow eyes opened.

"It would be wise not to underestimate thou opponents, no matter how far away the battle may be." Naruto dropped his shocked expression and smirked.

"I never underestimated you. However, that display of speed you just showed…I'm getting all fired up now. I can't wait to fight against you." The old man let go of Naruto's shoulders and smiled slightly, his wrinkles increasing, showing his age.

"That…will be quite a time coming."

'_But I will wait and enjoy the day we can fight' _The old Master thought.

Naruto bowed and walked away to go to the river. When he entered his favorite spot at the river, he saw all of his clones practicing his chakra control and chakra pool by **Water Walking,** or meditating, which also improved his chakra control.

He dispelled all of them except one, taking in their memories and experience. He would dispel the clone that was meditating later to garner as much **EXP **as possible by the end of the night. Then, he summoned a hundred clones, all of them standing on top of the water. They were all staring the original with bloodthirsty grins, knowing where this was headed and what the original was going to do

Pulling out his **Baroque Blade** and **Anneal Blade**, Naruto shifted into his battle stance. All of the clones followed suit, pulling out their pair of blades and shifting into their own stance, the water barely rippling at the movement. At an untold signal, all of them let out a war cry, charging at the original.

Naruto returned in like, jumping straight at the hundred clones, a feral grin on his face.

"LET'S GET WILD!"

**XShuyaX**

(Time Skip: Two days)

The room was large but quite dark, lighted only by a few torches and a small chandelier on the ceiling. There was only one guild at the meeting with one table to seat the commander.

Naruto was standing against a pillar, out of sight and separated from the rest of the clearers. Kirito was leaning against the pillar next to him with his arms crossed and eyes closed. All of the players gave the **Beater** a wide berth, content to stay away from him and give him dirty glances.

Asuna was standing on the other side of the room, away from Kirito, eating her pastries. Even though she had discarded the cloak that had covered her face and body, she still had a somewhat cold attitude to most players that introduced themselves to her. Plenty of men cried every day.

Kirito and the rest of their group had agreed to be separated in public. Although Naruto and Asuna had disagreed with the idea, Kirito eventually forced the two to stay away so as not to damage their reputations as well. The two eventually relented, albeit extremely reluctantly. However, for Naruto, if they couldn't see him…now that was a different story.

Silica was near the middle of the room, standing in the middle of a large crowd of players. She had decided to join the boss raiding party since she had become **Level 17**. She and Naruto shared a few quick words before they separated to wait for the meeting to begin.

"Alright, let's begin the boss meeting. We thank you for joining us today." Naruto and the rest of the clearers turned to the deep, resonating voice. It was the leader of the **Heavenly Dragon Alliance**, the first guild in the game. The guild had a large number of players, but Naruto assumed that most of the players in the guild joined because it had a kick-ass name.

_I can probably make a better one, so who cares!_

"If we defeat this boss, we shall be one step closer to finishing this cursed tower and being free." The players in the room all nodded their heads in consent, agreeing with the statement whole-heartedly.

"Our scouts have gone into the boss room and discovered some valuable information. The boss is a giant Minotaur. It is quite slow, but it is capable of dishing out heavy damage with its axe. So, our guild has formed a plan: the players should split into two groups, one with tanks, and the other with attackers. This way, the tanks can defend the heavy hitters from the boss's attacks while the attackers damage the boss."

_I guess that could work. Better than I was thinking…hahaha. Yea, that wouldn't have been a good plan._

The rest of the meeting went along 'swimmingly, but it was so boring'. Sometime during the meeting, snoring sounds were heard in the back of the room, but no one could locate exactly where and who was making the disturbing noise throughout the meeting.

**XShuyaX**

(Time Skip: 2 hours)

"Naruto, what are your **Hiding **skill stats? No one was able to locate you…" _Even I couldn't. _

Naruto looked up from his meal and saw Kirito standing nearby. Kirito had changed his clothing slightly, wearing all black clothing to go along with his **Coat of Midnight** and his black hair.

Naruto pointed at the seat opposite him from the table, motioning for him to sit down. Kirito complied and waited while Naruto continued to eat his ramen. He knew now to not disturb Naruto's ramen time.

"Hmmm…**Hiding** skill, you say? Are the **Sprint** skill, **Searching** skill, and **Tracking** all related to that?" Kirito nodded. Naruto put his chin on top of his hand, his elbow resting on the table.

"Yea…I don't have any of those." Kirito's eyes widened in shock.

"What!" Kirito's voice rose enough to garner some attention to themselves from nearby players. Naruto just waved his hand at the people that stopped, motioning for them to move along.

"Stay silent, Kirito. Yeah, I don't have any of those abilities, and I don't know why. You're the only player that knows this now, other than me." Kirito managed to calm down and return his face to his normal calm façade. He understood what Naruto was saying.

_I'm trusting you with this information, so don't tell anyone else._

"When did you realize this?" Naruto looked up at the ceiling, thinking about how to respond to Kirito's question.

"Actually, I realized this at the very beginning. Ever since the game started, I thought something was wrong. I knew about most of the abilities and passive stuff in the game since I read all the guides from beta-testers and from online information sources. So, when I saw that I had none of those things…"

Kirito nodded his head, but he was still confused. Then, he remembered how he had first met Naruto.

"Does it have something to do with how you first met me?"

_Your clones…_

Naruto looked back down from the ceiling and looked at Kirito. Kirito was calmly keeping his gaze on Naruto.

"This is only between you and I. None of this information gets out, understood? If anyone else knew…they would treat me the same as you, and just because I have something they don't. I want to able to help them without worry on my part for as long as possible." The two stared at each other for a moment. Kirito eventually nodded again, but much more slowly this time.

"Alright. So…are you ready for the boss battle?" Naruto's demeanor suddenly shifted, going from serious to nonchalance and boredom.

"Meh." He raised his hand and dropped it lazily on the table. "The bosses from the first ten floors are meant to be like a tutorial, aren't they? At least, that's what I heard from online sources before this game was actually released."

Kirito remained silent, his mood become somewhat darker. He knew that Naruto was speaking the truth. During the beta-test, he had cleared the first eleven floors. The game had been exponentially more difficult after the first ten floors had been cleared. In fact, the eleventh floor boss took twelve tries by multiple clearing groups, and the twelfth try resulted in three quarters of the players dying. However, in this game…they didn't have the luxury of a second chance.

"We'll think about it later…when we're there. For now…we'll just think about the present, the most important part of our life. Right?" Naruto turned his head to the side and looked out the window, staring at the sun setting, crawling down the sky, the edge of the circle barely touching the top of the mountain.

Kirito stared at Naruto at shock. _Even though he's the same age as me…when did he become so mature?_

"Yea…"

Naruto looked away from the window and looked back at Kirito. Then, he grinned widely and suddenly got up from his seat and began to run out of the small restaurant. As he got farther and farther away, Naruto turned around, his eyes closed and his face lit up by a wide smile.

"Thanks for the free meal!" With that, Naruto turned around and continued to run away.

"Huh? What does he mean?" Kirito asked himself.

A moment later, a waiter dropped a check on the table where Naruto and Kirito had just talked. Kirito picked up the check and looked at it. Then, his face paled. And just like on the bakery incident on the first floor…Kirito screamed as loudly as he could.

"DAMN YOU, NARUTOOOO!"

Somewhere else in the town, a wild cackling could be heard from a spiky haired blonde.

**XShuyaX**

(Time Skip: Next Day, 9 A.M.)

"Let's go!"

The leader of the clearing group opened boss's door. It opened wide enough for every person to walk through. Upon entering, Naruto noticed that, once again, the room was vast and tremendously large, almost the size of the first boss battle against **Illfang the Kobold Lord**.

The ceiling became luminescent as the boss raiding group walked into the room, lighting it up. A blue **Minotaur** was standing on the other side of the room, breathing heavily, steam coming out from its mouth after every breath. It was ridiculously muscular, its muscles bulging and ripped. The **Minotaur** ignored all armor and was shirtless, wearing only some baggy, furry shorts that covered its lower body.

Its hooves scraped against the ground, making a piercing, screeching sound. Naruto and the rest of the clearers winced slightly. Suddenly, the boss roared, the breath of the boss reaching all the way across the room, knocking some players off their feet.

"What… the hell?" Naruto had easily managed to stay on his feet, but that was because he stuck to the ground with chakra. _The boss shouldn't be this strong! What's going on?_

The **Minotaur** began to charge as its sentinel minions began to flash into the large room.

_Wonderful…more Minotaurs…how do you want them? Rainbow, please_.

Smaller Minotaurs of all different colors flashed into the room next to the charging boss, each wielding a double-edged sword or axe.

"Charge!" The leader of the **Heavenly Dragon Alliance **ordered. All the clearers were on their feet again. They let out a loud war cry as they ran forwards to meet the boss and its sentinel minions at the middle of the room.

"Go go go!"

"This is it!"

Naruto and Kirito were once again grouped up with Asuna, ignored by all the other player and tanks. However, Silica was a new person in their party that joined only the day before. So, Asuna filled in Silica about Kirito and Naruto's team attack, the **Reaping Whirlwind**…after they became acquainted.

**XShuyaX**

(_Flashback: Night time, Day before Boss Battle)_

"_Naruto, is that Silica?" Kirito turned to look when Asuna had soken. Asuna was pointing at a young girl next to Naruto, almost a full head shorter. She had two pigtails, one on each side of her head. Her eyes were ruby red, and her face was pale, but it didn't make her seem in any way unhealthy._

_Naruto put his hand on Silica's shoulder and smiled._

"_Yup! I told you I would introduce you, right?" _

"_No, you didn't. I had to remind you, remember?" Naruto just waved it off and scratched the back of his head with his other hand._

"_Details…who needs them when they aren't required, right?"_

_Asuna deadpanned._

"_Everyone except you, Naruto."_

_Asuna shifted her gaze from Naruto to the young girl next to him. She held out her hand for a handshake and bent over, leaning towards the girl._

"_Nice to meet you. My name is Asuna!"_

_Silica shyly took her hand and shook it._

"_I-I'm Silica." Asuna made a girlish squeal, surprised by the cuteness of the girl. She stood up and pointed at Naruto accusingly._

"_I'm just wondering…how do you deal with that idiot?" Naruto coughed and choked slightly. Kirito just patted him on the back sympathetically._

_Silica demeanor changed. She closed her eyes and then sighed in despair._

"_I know…he thinks that ramen is the food gifted by Kami…"_

"_I know right?"Asuna nodded her head sagely, agreeing with the young girl._

"…_and everyone knows that it's smoothies." That got Asuna's attention, and not exactly in the best way, either._

_Both of the boy's began to shiver uncontrollably, knowing perfectly what was going to happen next._

"…_What?"_

_Silica ignored the sense of danger tingling in her head, assuming that Asuna wouldn't be too dangerous. Girl to girl talk, right? So, she continued with her eyes closed, speaking as if everything was perfectly normal._

"_I mean…smoothies are amazing! Kami gave them to all of mankind when she first introduced fire so that the cavemen could cool down when the fire became too hot for them. Don't you agree?"_

_Asuna's face became shadowed, both eyes disappearing under the darkness. Then, her eyes began to glow a dangerous red as she began to somehow tower over the little girl._

"_Heretic…you dare blasphemy against __**pastries**__!?"_

'_Ohhhh no…' Kirito and Naruto thought in unison._

_Silica's face changed as well, becoming shadowed and ghostlike, just like when she had argued against Naruto._

"_Huh…did you say something? Who eats pastries? Fat people like you?"_

_Asuna poked Silica's forehead with her finger repeatedly as she said '__**pastries…pastries…PASTRIES**__'. _

"_Don't you know that _pastries_ are better than _smoothies_?"_

_Silica began to push Asuna away._

"SMOOOTHIES!"

'_Oh dear Kami…please no!' The boys thought again in perfect unison._

"PASTRIESSSS!"

"RAAAMMMMENNN!" _Naruto decided to join in, not believing that these girls would dare to ignore the real gift from Kami. However, both girls turned on him and punched him in the face at the same time._

_"NOT RAMEN!"_

_He slid across the ground on his face, steaming and bruised. Two large lumps showed the spot where Naruto was hit simultaneously by the girls._

_Asuna turned her head to glare at Kirito, but her face quickly changed into a wide smile...a deviously wide smile. It was one that promised pain if he didn't agree with her. Kirito began to sweat and backed up a step._

_"Oh...Kirito-kun, don't you think that pastries are the best food?" Kirito was crying mentally._

_I'm not getting in that! And you two just punched Naruto! That smile...why does it look so demented? And her eyebrow is twitching!_

_Kirito raised both of his hands and kept them in the 'X' formation._

_"Don't try to get me involved, Asuna. I'm not going to - NOOOOO!" Asuna, during Kirito's response, pulled out a rapier and began to throw **Linear**'s and fast jabs, which Kirito was barely dodging. _

_Naruto flicked Asuna's forehead to stop her. She was going too far and Naruto's didn't need any cranky people in the neighborhood to show any animosity towards them. _

"_Ladies…that's not OK. We're in the middle of town and everyone's staring at us. Besides, it's night time, so let's be a little quieter, OK?"_

_And that was how to party met...although they did have a somewhat civil late dinner afterwards...and the girls did not let Naruto get even close to ramen. Every time he was about to order it, they would 'accidently' kick him under the table. If he got it, they would 'accidently' slip and make it fall to the floor. Even when he tried to get it to-go, they somehow knew. It was as if they were trackers from hell._

_Naruto didn't get any sleep that night, going through ramen withdrawals, twitching and fidgeting under the sheets of blankets._

**XShuyaX**

(Time Skip: Back to battle)

_Yea…that sucked. Why am I the only normal person in this group?_

Kirito gripped his **Anneal Blade** as he jumped into the air. His sword glowed white as he slashed down with a **Vertical **on the sentinel Minotaur.

"Take…THIS!" His sword cut through the wooden handle of the axe and continued its harsh arc to slash through the body of the golden Minotaur, completely blowing through its **Health Points**. It shattered into blue polygons and made a breaking glass effect.

Naruto ran past Kirito as he went charged multiple Minotaurs at once to keep them off of the clearers fighting the boss. Kirito quickly joined in, Asuna and Silica following soon after.

_There are fifty Minotaurs…OK…so sentinels always come in the same number as the raiding party. We need to quickly take care of these cannon fodder so we can focus on the boss._

"Raaahhh! **Leaf Whirlwind**!" Naruto jumped and spun twice in the air. His leg suddenly straightened before he kicked a pink Minotaur in the chin. The sentinel went careening into the air. Naruto blurred from his spot on the floor and appeared above the airborne Minotaur.

"And…here's my special move for you…NARUTO SMACKDOWN!" Naruto kicked the Minotaur in the stomach, sending it crashing into the ground. Its health quickly depleted down to zero, and the sentinel disappeared into nothingness.

Kirito, Asuna, and Silica sweatdropped.

_What a gay name._

Naruto turned and smirked at the rest of his party members.

"Come on, let's GET WILD!" He pulled out a dagger with his **Baroque Blade** as he sprinted into the fray once more.

As the battle continued, constant orders were heard over the sounds of battle.

"Group A, help group D!"

"Groud G, switch with Group B! Make sure to keep the boss busy!"

"Group C! Get the hell out of there! Medics, get them potions!"

The guild leader of the **Heavenly Dragon Alliance** was organizing and moving the groups around to keep the battle flowing smoothly and prevent as many deaths as possible. So far, there had been no deaths, and that's how he wanted to keep it. Somehow, despite the boss's absurd strength and ability to quickly take care of the attacking group, the clearers were still able to take out chunks of its health before they had to run back and heal up. However…they were quickly running out of available potions.

Suddenly, the boss roared, its voice reverberating throughout the room. The clearers that were fighting against the boss stumbled and fell back from the heavy impact of the boss's breath, falling harshly on the ground.

Naruto quickly dodged a sentinel's axe swipe, flipping over the blade. As he flipped in midair, he checked the boss's health and status. It was in its last bar, but a strange sign was next to its health.

_What is…wait…THAT'S __**BERSERK MODE**__!_

**Berserk Mode **was a status that increased any enemy or ally's strength significantly, but it also made whatever that was affected by it more animalistic and instinctual in battle. In this case, since the boss was alone against nearly fifty clearers, going berserk was perfect for it…and extremely dangerous for the clearers.

"GUYS GET BACK NOW! IT'S GOING TO GO BERSERK!"

The group that was fighting the bossd heard Naruto's warning, but they were still on the ground and wouldn't make it time. The **Minotaur** roared, its axe arcing down at a searing speed towards the players grounded on the floor in fear.

_Shit! I won't make it time!_

Suddenly, a figure jumped in front of the boss and blocked the axe swing, albeit barely. The small figure fell to its knees, defenseless as the boss began its second swing. Naruto immediately recognized the figure from the back.

_Fuck! That's Silica!_

Naruto grabbed a pebble, an item that he had a plethora of, out of his **Quick Slot** and threw it as hard as he could at the boss. Then, he prepared his **Sword Skill**, **Horizontal** on his blade. It began to sheen a bright blue.

_Make it in time! __**Kawamiri no Jutsu!**_

**XShuyaX**

(Perspective Switch: Silica's POV)

"Hah!" Silica slashed a green Minotaur, hacking away at its health. Eventually, its health bar depleted and the sentinel shattered into polygons, dispersing into the air into invisible streams of game codes.

Suddenly, the boss roared. Silica turned her head and saw the group fighting the boss fall to the ground. The boss began to swing its axe down on the grounded players, unable to move.

_I can make it! I can save them!_

Silica was nearby, so she began to use **Sprint**, charging towards the boss. She leaped and flew, closing the distance in the blink of an eye.

"Hah!" Silica's dagger began to glow a toxic purple as she deflected the boss's downward strike. However, she misjudged the strength of the boss, not knowing that it was under **Berserk Mode**. Her dagger arm fell and dangled uselessly to her side, her shoulder obviously dislocated and out of its socket.

_At least…I saved these six people._ The axe began to come down again, its shining edge coming closer and closer. _But…_

Everything seemed to slow down. Silica glanced at the six people on the floor. All of them were screaming at her.

"Get away!"

"Look out!"

But she couldn't. She had just used **Sprint**, and that has a cooldown time of at least a minute, especially at her low level. And not only that, but she had just used a **Sword Skill** and was frozen in place.

…_I want to live. I want to survive!_

Silica looked up as the axe came closer…and closer. Suddenly, a pebble flew above of her head.

_What? A pebble wo-…_

The pebble suddenly disappeared, a figure flashing into view, his sword glowing brightly.

"Urrraahhhhh!"

The unknown player swung his blade and deflected the boss's second strike in midair. He used the momentum from the boss's strike to flip and land on his feet. Silica turned to see who it was.

It was Naruto…and he looked pissed.

**XShuyaX**

(Perspective Switch: Narrator's POV)

Naruto gnashed his teeth together. He seethed as his breath went in and out through his closed teeth.

"You…"

_Every time at a boss battle…why do I have to get so pissed?_

Naruto's eyes seemed to glow blue, his long coat flipping in the air. His hair began to rise as his killing intent exploded.

"RaaaaAAAHHHH!" Naruto disappeared from view, appearing behind the boss. He jumped into the air, his blade already shining. He slashed down on the large **Minotaur**, his sword cutting through the thick muscles on its back. The boss roared out in pain, thrashing and swinging axe randomly in the air, hoping to hit the suddenly unknown foe. It turned to try and grab Naruto, but the blonde had already disappeared, now in front of the boss by switching place with another pebble he dropped on the ground.

"**HORIZONTAL SQAURE!**" Naruto swung his blade from left to right, slashing across the **Minotaur's** legs. Then, he reversed the swing and slashed across the chest, a bright red mark indicating the slash. He jumped into midair, ready to slash at the jugular and neck, but the boss had already recovered from its surprise.

"**RRROOOOOAARRR!**" The **Minotaur** punched Naruto in the face, sending him away like a rocket.

_Guh! Shit that hurt! My __**Health Point **__is…54%! Holy crap that boss is strong!_

Someone caught Naruto right before he hit the ground, preventing any more damage from harming Naruto. He looked up. It was Kirito.

"You idiot…what the hell were you thinking!" Kirito yelled at Naruto as he dropped him to the floor. Naruto gracefully landed…on his ass. Naruto patted his butt to get rid of the imaginary dust on the back of his pants and got up.

"Hey…I got the job done. All seven of them are safe now." Kirito glared at Naruto.

"And you could've died. Why couldn't you just wait for us to help you?" Naruto shook his head as he turned to glare at the boss. He activated a **Potion** as he stared at the ground around the boss, where the seven players were about to be killed. It was empty, indicating that all seven of the clearers had gotten away safely, most likely healing safely behind the lines of the clearers.

"Then I wouldn't have made it in time." Kirito scoffed, but he didn't rebuke it either.

"Whatever…let's just finish this." Naruto smirked, his blood pumping with excitement as his health bar reached the green.

"Now we're talking, Kirito." Naruto pulled out his **Anneal Blade** from his inventory, gripping the hilt with his left hand, and held his **Baroque Blade **with his right in a loose grip. He bent low into his stance, his eyes zoning in on the boss.

"Let's GO WILD!"

Kirito and Naruto burst into action, closing the distance between them and the boss within five seconds. Asuna joined them during their sprint, already understanding what the plan was.

Naruto charged in first, jumping into the air with his sword shining white. However, instead of deflecting the attack…he struck at the handle of the axe that was completely open and unprotected.

_Hey…if I have to fight unfair, then so be it!_

His blade cut straight through the handle like a hot knife through butter. The double-edged axe dropped unceremoniously to the ground, making a 'thud' sound when it hit the floor.

"**Moo**?"

Naruto then righted himself in midair, flipping and straightening out his right leg as the distance quickly close. He then kicked the **Minotaur** harshly in the face with a –

"**DYNAMIC ENTRY!**" –and landed behind the boss. Kirito quickly followed up with a **Vertical Square**, slashing the boss deeply in the stomach four times.

_The boss is in the red…15% health!_

"Switch!"

Asuna charged forwards just as Kirito jumped back. Her rapier glowed green before it disappeared, striking the boss right in…the spot where 'the sun don't shine'. It roared…but it was two octaves higher than normal.

"**Moooooo**!"

_Ouch…_

Every guy…pretty much every clearer in the boss room cringed as they dropped their hands near their jewels. They all felt some sympathy for the boss, despite being the enemy. They knew the pain it was going through.

Asuna stabbed the boss with a **Linear** again, pushing the boss back. The **Minotaur **tottered and stumbled backwards, it's back falling towards Naruto.

"TAKE THIS!" Naruto stabbed his **Anneal Blade** through the chest of the **Minotaur**, using the boss's own weight against it. The blade pierced the back and went through the stomach, going through the whole body. Then, he slashed through the boss's neck, landing a critical strike and performing the last attack. Right before the boss's decapitated head fell off its neck, it shattered into blue polygons.

***Congratulation! You have defeated Galvurus the Minotaur***

***Congratulation! You have leveled up!***

***Congratulations! You got the Last Attack Bonus! You have obtained Black Boots!***

"…"

"HELL YEAH!"

"ONE MORE FLOOR DOWN!"

"WE CAN ACTUALLY FINISH THIS GAME!"

The clearers cheered loudly, their voices echoing in the slightly darker room. The ceiling had lost some of its luminescence when the boss had been defeated.

Naruto stood still, staring at nothing. Then, he sheathed his **Baroque Blade** and placed his **Anneal Blade** back into his inventory mechanically. His face looked blank, bearing no emotion.

He began to walk towards the group of clearers…and zoned in on one person in the large group. Silica was being thanked and congratulated by a group of players, most likely the group that she had saved. Kirito knew what Naruto was thinking, so he didn't stop him when he had passed him without a look or word.

Naruto walked straight in front of Silica. Before she could even say anything, he grabbed her elbow, knowing full well that the game had already healed her dislocated shoulder.

"Huh? Wait…Naruto, what are you doing?"

He ignored her and turned, but before he could take another step, a person grabbed his wrist. Naruto whipped around to see who stopped him, then snarled aggressively.

_Kibaou-teme!_

"What do you think you're doing, huh?" Kibaou sneered at Naruto. Naruto glared back at the cactus-haired player, pissed and seething once again, except his ire was rising and getting out of control.

"Look, I'm not in the mood. Just get out of my way, Kibaou-teme." Naruto took another step forwards, but Kibaou help firmly onto Naruto's wrist, preventing any more movement.

"WHAT DO YOU WANT!" Naruto turned and yelled at Kibaou, his patience shot and temper breaking out. Silica began to tremble, scared at Naruto's anger and strange demeanor. Naruto had never acted like this around her. Where had the fun and happy Naruto gone? Where was the one that always complimented her and made her smile?

Kibaou pointed his finger at Naruto accusingly with his other finger.

"I want to know…how did you move like that! No player can do that, and they can't disappear like that! You must be a **Beater**, just like that basta-"

Naruto didn't let him finish that sentence, bashing Kibaou's skull with his forehead in a headbutt. Kibaou yelped in pain and fell on his ass unceremoniously. He began to rub his forehead and then opened his eyes to look up at Naruto.

Naruto was looking down at Kibaou in a way that brought fear and dread in his heart, making him tremble inside. One of his cold, blue eyes was shadowed and out of sight, while the other eye looked down at him condescendingly. It wasn't the fact that Naruto was looking down on him that made Kibaou feel weak and powerless, but it was _how_ Naruto was looking down on him, as if he were better than him and that Kibaou was just the dirt to his feet.

"Kibaou…this is really getting old. We've only done this twice, and I'm already getting tired of this. I just need to talk to this girl."

"But how did you move like that!" Another voice from the clearing group, not Kibaou, yelled out. Naruto turned his eyes in the direction of the voice, his ice cold eyes boring into the person.

"When you have enough **Agility **stats, you can move that fast."

That revelation earned a lot of surprised and shocked glances and gasps from the players. Naruto's statement implied that his **Agility** stats were absurdly high and most likely much higher than everyone else's and…that he was a much higher level than everyone else to have those kind of stats. In fact, everyone was that his speed was superior to that of Asuna, **The Flash**.

Naruto turned and walked away from the clearing group with Silica trembling in tow. Finally, no one had stopped him or prevented his leaving with any words or actions...or so he thought.

Asuna was standing directly in front of him with her arms crossed, her expression cloudy and annoyed.

"What are you doing with Silica?"

"Look, I'm just talking with her, Asuna. I really don't have the patience right now, so please move." Asuna shook her head, not compmlying with Naruto's request.

"I'm worried what you're going to do with her...just like everyone else in the room is." Naruto's face became shadowed, his bangs covering his eyes.

_Why...even you, Asuna?_

"I vouch for him." The voice was Kirito. Naruto looked up and stared at him. So did all the clearers...before they got pissed.

"Screw you, **Beater**."

"No one trusts you in the first place."

"Why are you still here?"

Kirito stood there calmly with his arms crossed, not batting an eye at the outbursts directed at him. When they had died down, Kirito continued.

"I know you that don't trust me...but you have no reason not to trust Naruto. He's saved plenty of people and has no reason to not be trusted. So...if you can't trust me, at least trust him."

This seemed to get some reaction from the clearers. Naruto gave a curt nod of his head at Kirito in thanks, Kirito returning with a smaller one, a frown on his face.

_I trust you, Naruto._

Naruto walked past Asuna. She turned to them as they walked, ready to say something again until Kirito grabbed her arm to stop her. She turned to him, confused and angry.

"What are you thinking, Kirito? He's pissed, and not only that, but he's taking her to the next floor where there's _no one_ up there. What if he-"

Kirito stopped her by tightening his grip on Asuna's arm. His eyes flashed for a moment with some emotion before they returned to a calm and analytical gaze.

"Asuna...do you really think that Naruto would do that? Ever? And for Kami's sake, he's fourteen...we're fourteen. Silica is twelve! What the hell are you thinking they're going to do?"

Asuna dropped her head in shame. She did think that Naruto would do something based on the way he was acting. She looked to where Naruto and Silica were walking away, their footsteps resounding throughout the room as they ascended the stairs. Naruto opened the door to the **Fourth Floor** without care, ignoring the congratulatory music that played for him. Silica gave up on protesting; she had stopped tugging and pulling on her arm. Now, she was just shivering and afraid of what Naruto was going to do.

He no longer was walking quickly or gripping her elbow tightly, but his face showed contained anger, and that made her afraid.

He held her elbow lightly now, just leading her through the streets of the new town. Silica just followed timidly, her face showing nervousness. Her eyes constantly flicked from Naruto, to the right…to the left…and back to Naruto again.

Finally, when Naruto had reached an alleyway, he stopped and pushed Silica to the wall. She made a small sound from the impact. Silica was going to ask what Naruto wanted, but she stopped when she saw his eyes. He was absolutely livid and seething.

"What…the hell were you thinking?" Silica bit her lip…but she knew she was in the right.

"I-I-I was t-trying t-to prot-t-tect the group t-that…t-that was…about to be-be killed by t-the boss." Silica barely stammered her words out, her face looked down at the floor as she said her words. Naruto suddenly slammed his fist on the wall next to her head. Silica cringed inwardly, the violence of her trembling increasing, bringing her almost to tears. The building creaked and shuddered slightly, showing the strength behind the punch.

***This building is Immortal***

_I don't give a shit!_

"The attack the boss used was a four-hit combo! If I didn't deflect the second hit, the boss would have kill you AND the six players on the ground!"

"But…I just…I thought I had helped…I just wanted to help!" Silica looked up at Naruto, her eyes scared and pleading for Naruto calm down.

Naruto's face lost its rage and his eyes became full of concern and worry.

"Don't do that…that was stupid, Silica. Your will to save people is amazing but…you can't just jump in without thinking. If I didn't stop the boss…"

_You would've died._

Just like on the third floor, Silica's mood became somber when she caught the untold message. She dropped her head and looked at the floor. Naruto put his hand on the top of her red hair and kept it there. Naruto had done that action constantly when they were a party. Now, he was doing it again to try to calm her down, to tell her he was just worried for her sake.

_I don't want to fail…I don't want someone to die in front of me again…not like Diabel._

"Just…be careful next time. You'll never get a second chance in this game…this game is now every player's reality. OK, Silica-chan? And I'm sorry if I scared you but…you need to understand this."

Naruto dropped his hand from her head and stayed still for a moment before he turned and walked away, his footsteps pounding loudly against the floor in Silica's mind.

_Kami…I hate doing this. I feel like such an asshole. _

Naruto looked up at the night sky. The clouds covered the quarter full moon, making the stars shine even brighter. To Naruto, however, it was just a dark night.

_Kami, this pisses me off. Not even a full moon tonight. Why does it have to be so dark? Heh, ironic. Just like the mood…it's probably going to rain tonight._

Naruto continued to walk aimlessly through the town with no direction, just walking to get rid of his thoughts…but they continued to plague him.

With Silica back in the alleyway, she hadn't moved an inch. A droplet of water…no, a tear…hit the ground.

"I…*sniff*…I just…*sob*…wanted to be strong…like you."

Then, all the dams broke loose. She slid down her back and sat down, hugging her legs close to her chest as she cried to herself, her tears cascading down her face and dripping on the floor.

_I just wanted to be strong like you, Naruto._

_I'm sorry, Silica-chan._

**End Chapter!**

**Omake: Kami's Gift to Mankind**

**XShuyaX**

(Time Skip: 3 hours)

"…and that's why ramen is the greatest food of all time!" Silica just stared at Naruto. And stared…and stared.

_You know…some of his arguments were really convincing…until I remembered that smoothies are Kami's gift to mankind._

"Naruto…smoothies are Kami's gift to all of mankind, not ramen. Smoothies are so smooth and creamy; they leave such a great aftertaste…"

Naruto's face paled more and more as he listened to the blasphemy spoken from this heretic woman.

_How dare she?_

"No!" He interrupted Silica. "Ramen is Kami's gift! She personally brought it down to the cavemen hundreds of thousands of years ago! She brought fire to mankind and gave ramen as the first cooked food!"

"That's not true! Kami brought fire and a smoothie. Hot and cold have to go together!"

The two argued until sundown, their quest completely forgotten. It wasn't until much later in the game that they realized that their argument could have been easily avoided if either of them realized that ramen was a food and that smoothie was a drink and dessert.

**XShuyaX**

(Time Skip: 11:28 P.M.)

"Damn it. We got too caught up in our argument." Naruto and Silica were walking through the streets of the town. They had barely finished their quest in time. Thirty minutes before the quest timer ran out, the two received a notice stating that they were running out of time. The two-man party made a temporary truce on their beliefs on Kami's gift to mankind and barely finished the quest in time.

"It's not my fault. You were the one that brought up ramen and spent three hours telling me about its so called greatness. Smoothies, Naruto." Naruto's head creaked to the side, his blank eyes staring down on Silica. His face was shadowed by the darkness, giving his a ghostly appearance.

"Did…you…say…something?" Silica immediately gained the same complexion, her eyes becoming a black, dull void, and her face becoming just as shadowed.

"Smoothies…"

"Ramen…"

"Smoothies…"

"Kami's gift is ramen…"

"SMOOTHIES!" Silica began to scream at Naruto. Naruto vigorously responded in like, his voice slightly louder than Silica's.

"RAAAMEEEENNNN!"

"SSMOOOOOOOTHIEEES!"

"BOTH OF YOU, SHUT UP!" All the people in the neighborhood somehow yelled in unison at the two teens that were outside past their curfew. Naruto and Silica jumped in surprise at the sudden outburst by all of the people in the vicinity.

"Go to sleep or something!"

"Get a room, you two!"

"Scream somewhere else!"

A moment of silence passed between the two after all of the neighbors became silent. Naruto then began to laugh uncontrollably, his head thrown back as he held his sides. Silica joined him, giggling and laughing.

After about a minute, the two managed to gain control of their sniggers and began to walk again.

"My place is over there. Where's yours?" Naruto pointed to a hotel down the street in the west.

"Huh? The inn I'm staying at is right next to it. I'm that one right there." Silica pointed at an inn that was just across the street from the hotel.

"Oh…OK. Well, that makes things much easier." The two walked together until they were both in front of their respective places for the night.

"See you."

"G' night."

The two opened the entrance to their respective places and walked in, neither looking back.

**XShuyaX**

(_Flashback: Night time, Day before Boss Battle)_

"_Naruto, is that Silica?" Kirito turned to look when Asuna had soken. Asuna was pointing at a young girl next to Naruto, almost a full head shorter. She had two pigtails, one on each side of her head. Her eyes were ruby red, and her face was pale, but it didn't make her seem in any way unhealthy._

_Naruto put his hand on Silica's shoulder and smiled._

"_Yup! I told you I would introduce you, right?" _

"_No, you didn't. I had to remind you, remember?" Naruto just waved it off and scratched the back of his head with his other hand._

"_Details…who needs them when they aren't required, right?"_

_Asuna deadpanned._

"_Everyone except you, Naruto."_

_Asuna shifted her gaze from Naruto to the young girl next to him. She held out her hand for a handshake and bent over, leaning towards the girl._

"_Nice to meet you. My name is Asuna!"_

_Silica shyly took her hand and shook it._

"_I-I'm Silica." Asuna made a girlish squeal, surprised by the cuteness of the girl. She stood up and pointed at Naruto accusingly._

"_I'm just wondering…how do you deal with that idiot?" Naruto coughed and choked slightly. Kirito just patted him on the back sympathetically._

_Silica demeanor changed. She closed her eyes and then sighed in despair._

"_I know…he thinks that ramen is the food gifted by Kami…"_

"_I know right?"Asuna nodded her head sagely, agreeing with the young girl._

"…_and everyone knows that it's smoothies." That got Asuna's attention, and not exactly in the best way, either._

_Both of the boy's began to shiver uncontrollably, knowing perfectly what was going to happen next._

"…_What?"_

_Silica ignored the sense of danger tingling in her head, assuming that Asuna wouldn't be too dangerous. Girl to girl talk, right? So, she continued with her eyes closed, speaking as if everything was perfectly normal._

"_I mean…smoothies are amazing! Kami gave them to all of mankind when she first introduced fire so that the cavemen could cool down when the fire became too hot for them. Don't you agree?"_

_Asuna's face became shadowed, both eyes disappearing under the darkness. Then, her eyes began to glow a dangerous red as she began to somehow tower over the little girl._

"_Heretic…you dare blasphemy against __**pastries**__!?"_

'_Ohhhh no…' Kirito and Naruto thought in unison._

_Silica's face changed as well, becoming shadowed and ghostlike, just like when she had argued against Naruto._

"_Huh…did you say something? Who eats pastries? Fat people like you?"_

_Asuna poked Silica's forehead with her finger repeatedly as she said '__**pastries…pastries…PASTRIES**__'. _

"_Don't you know that _pastries_ are better than _smoothies_?"_

_Silica began to push Asuna away._

"SMOOOTHIES!"

'_Oh dear Kami…please no!' The boys thought again in perfect unison._

"PASTRIESSSS!"

"SMOOOTHIES!"

"PAAAAAASSSTRRRIEEEEESSS!"

"SMMMOOOOOOTHIII-ACK!"

_Naruto flicked Silica's forehead to stop her. She was going too far and Naruto's didn't need any cranky people in the neighborhood to show any animosity towards them. _

"_Ladies…that's not OK. We're in the middle of town and everyone's staring at us. Besides, it's night time, so let's be a little quieter, OK?"_

_The two girls glared at each other with lightning sparking in between them, but they nodded their heads in unison. Naruto nodded his head with his eyes closed, acting all wise and powerful. Then, he continued and said-_

"_Good…by the way…_RAAAAMMMMMMEEEEEEEEEEN!"

'_WHYYY NARUTOOOO!' Kirito screamed mentally._

_The group didn't get much sleep. They continued to argue most of the night through in one room in an inn. Kirito was forced to stay with them and couldn't fall asleep due to the constant yelling. Thankfully, rooms in the game prevented noise from escaping, so there weren't any angry neighbors that night._

**End Omake**

**A/N: Woah…I did not expect the ending to be like that when I typed this. And this thing is long! **

**I know it seems like this happened a bit early…but things are going to speed up a little bit. **

**Yes, I know this is the only the Fourth Floor, but don't worry. The first 25 won't take that long, only about two months. Things will slow down again from there.**

**Oh yea, question! What two elements do you want Naruto to have? Say that in your comments, and I'll count up the amount for each element.**

**Thanks to you all for reading this chapter and a very happy New Year's to everyone!**

**Character: Naruto**

**Strength: 14th**

**Defense: 143th**

**Agility: 1st**

**Intelligence: 34th**

**Luck: 1st**


	5. Chapter 4: Go Go Go!

**Chapter 4: Go Go Go!**

**A/N: This was a fun chapter to write. I hope you all enjoy.**

**By the way, the count was in and Wind and Lightning was in the largest numbers…I think. Haha. Recount. Yup.**

**Thanks to you all! Thanks to all my reviewers...but I feel like the Author's note from last chapter was too long, so I'm not going to write too much...and I'm kind of too lazy****.**

**Here's the count for the elements!**

**Wind: 12**

**Lightning: 8**

**Fire: 5**

**Earth: 5**

**Water: 1**

**So, it seems like Wind and Lightning.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own SAO or Naruto. Done.**

**Let's do this!**

**Chapter 4:**

"_I'm back!" Naruto opened the door to his house and flung his backpack to the couch across the room. Suddenly, he ducked, barely dodged a kendo swing that flowed across a few strands of his hair._

"_What did I say about throwing your backpack across the room?!" Naruto looked up to see his mother glaring down at him with her hair whipping around. She had a red aura emitting from her. Naruto began to sweat and chuckled, fearing for his life at the moment._

"_He he…not to do it?" Kushina immediately lost her anger and smiled…before smacking her son across the back of his head. Naruto face planted onto the ground._

"_What am I going to do with you? You and father are so alike on these things." Kushina looked up at the ceiling, deep in thought._

"_I thought I was more like you, mom." Naruto mumbled from his spot on the floor, his face still down. Kushina's anger suddenly returned, and she stomped her foot on his back repeatedly in her fit of anger._

"_Huh? What did you say, Naruto?" Naruto couldn't say anything other than scream silently in pain, although it was quite comical to the observers, three to be exact._

"_Ow ow ow ow!"_

"_Haha, Naruto, you were right." _

"_I wish I met your mother sooner."_

"_Finally…someone to take him down a peg from his ramen fits."_

_Kushina stopped her punishment for a moment, turning to see to newcomers. They were standing at the open door. Three teenagers, each were wearing the same school uniform as Naruto was and were smiling and laughing._

"_Naruto, are you going to introduce them to me?" A strange glint came into her eyes. Naruto wheezed out a breath in response._

"_As soon as…you get off my back." Kushina seemed to realize that her foot was still pressing her son harshly to the wooden floor, so she let go while laughing sheepishly. She didn't mean for her guests to see that._

"_Geez…it's been…how many years and you're still treating me the same. Give me a break. Anyways, these are my friends from school." Kushina rolled her eyes at the last statement._

"_Yes, Naruto. I can see that very well." Naruto shrugged his shoulders and pointed at each of his friends, naming them as he did so._

"_That one is Asuna. She's one year older than me and Kirito over there. And then the short one over there is Silica-chan." _

"_Hey, I'm not short!" The ruby-eyed girl yelled out immediately to Naruto's comment on her height. Naruto ignored her outburst and turned to his mom._

"_Well…it's certainly nice to meet you all. Please come in." The three standing at the door complied, taking off their shoes while they walked in. While Naruto's mother talked to Silica and Asuna and showed them around, Naruto did the same for Kirito._

"_Wow Naruto, your mom is really like that."_

_Naruto just laughed sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his head._

"_Yea, but you haven't seen anything yet. Sometimes…she becomes a real devil." Somehow, a pot slammed into Naruto's face from the kitchen._

"_I heard that, young man!"_

_The pot slid down his face and clattered on the floor. Kirito just laughed, amused at the family's antics. Naruto deadpanned._

"_Whatever."_

"_So…Naruto. How are you and Silica doing lately?" Naruto coughed and choked immediately, not expecting a question like that._

"_Wh-what do you mean? There's nothing wrong with us." Naruto kept his head straight until he realized that Kirito wasn't following him anymore. They were in the hallway, Kirito standing a few feet away from Naruto with his arms crossed over his chest, his face deadly serious._

"_Naruto, I'm actually asking. Have you two completely reconciled yet?" Naruto was about to lie and say yes, but Kirito's glare stopped from doing that. So, Naruto just sighed and shook his head._

"_Naruto, you need to do that sooner or later. Better now, actually. In fact, why don't you-"_

XShuyaX

(Location: Fourth Floor, Inn)

Naruto opened his eyes, fluttering them when the sunlight came in through the window curtains. The light irritated his eyes, so he shut them and curled up into a ball, turning over to his side to the other end of the bed to enjoy the warmth. Then, he opened his eyes and stared blankly at the wall, deep in thought.

"What…kind of dream was that? We were alive and back in the real world. But…what was Kirito going to say to me?" Naruto thought about it before he shook his head, the movement shaking the bed. "I can't remember. Damn, I hate how dreams always just stop and I wake up when the important part is just about to happen."

Naruto threw the bed covers off his body and jumped out of bed. He grabbed his black shirt, black jacket, and dark red pants that were hanging on a chair on a side to the room. Then, he walked over the bathroom with them, throwing them on top of the toilet seat while he turned on the shower.

"At least this inn had a shower. What should I do today? I finished all the quests already, but I only leveled up once. Damn, I hate relative **EXP** gain. It slows me down so damn much." Naruto jumped into the shower when it seemed to be warm enough to his liking. He scrubbed his body and hair, content to let the hot water roll down his back and the rest of his body.

"Ahhh…hmm. I'll just be lazy today…no, I can't do that. Every day counts. I'll just work on chakra control and my sword techniques."

Quickly finishing his shower and getting dressed, Naruto packed all of his belongings into his inventory and walked out of the room and inn. The NPC maid would take care of the rest and clean the room.

In the streets of the town, Naruto had quickly gotten accustomed to the changes from the **Third Floor **to the **Fourth Floor**. Instead of having any imperial era clothing or buildings, it was slightly more contemporary and modern. The houses were more like apartment complexes and the restaurants actually had grills for meat. Just one thing pissed off Naruto to no end about this floor, howerer.

"Damn it. There's still not a single ramen shop up here." He scoffed and put his hands in his pockets as he continued to walk to the north end of the town, a dour expression making its way to his face. He easily navigated through the crowd of people. They were clearly excited by the new town, despite it already having been four days since it had been opened.

After ten minutes of seemingly aimless walking, Naruto reached the end of the town borders and entered into the fields for grinding. It was still empty, perfect for gaining plenty of experience. However, since Naruto's level was so much higher than all the monsters on the floor, the amount of **EXP **he gained was miniscule. So…he tended to ignore the grinding spots or just used unconventional methods when he fought.

Naruto raised his index finger to his chin as he walked, entering into a deep trance of thought.

"I wonder how I should fight today…maybe I'll just use pebbles. Can I throw them…well that was a stupid question. Can I use a sword skill as I throw them? I heard there was a throwing skill in the game, but maybe I don't have it."

Naruto dropped his finger from his chin and swiped it downwards through the air. The holographic menu popped up in front of him. Naruto pressed his **Stats** and checked his **Abilities**, quickly scanning for a **Throwing** ability. There was none.

"So…chakra it is." Naruto checked his **Quick Slot** and quickly the amount of **Pebbles** he had. A staggering 9,999 was inside of his **Quick Slot**. Every single player, including Kirito, would wonder why Naruto would have so many pebbles, especially in his **Quick Slot**. If ever asked, Naruto would just shrug his shoulder and say that **Pebbles** were amazingly useful in their own way and almost infinite in number.

Suddenly, a monster came into view. It was a **Dire Wolf**, a level 8 monster that was easy to farm and kill. It snarled when it saw Naruto, clearly trying to intimidate him. When Naruto did not respond to its threat, it roared and began to charge the blonde.

Naruto just kept walking calmly, cleaning his ear out with his pinky as the wolf got closer and closer to his position. Right when it jumped to bite him, Naruto's left hand was suddenly in its face with a **Pebble** in the perfect position to fire. Naruto flicked the **Pebble**, although the speed and power behind it was more similar to a strong **Dagger **throw or a bullet from a gun.

When the **Pebble **impacted against the monster, the **Dire Wolf** whimpered and then shattered into polygons, disappearing into a stream of game codes that Naruto would probably never care about after this game had ended and been cleared. He looked at where the spot the **Dire Wolf **died, checking the amount of **EXP**, Col, and loot he gained.

_28 __**EXP**__._

_20 Col._

_1 __**Potion**__._

"Man, so little **EXP**. Not even half a percent from that. I need to find something else."

Naruto then closed the results from killing the **Dire Wolf** and continued to walk along the fields, clearly bored and waiting for some kind of action. His wish would soon be granted.

**XShuyaX**

(Time Skip: 2 hours)

A massive group of gorilla-like monsters was chasing a party through a forest. Even after the group had thought they had gotten out of the range of the gorillas zone, considering themselves safe, the gorillas had continued to chase. Confused and clearly afraid, the players ran for dear life, panting and screaming for help.

The group of monsters trailing them only got larger as time passed, now with **Dire Wolves** and **Raging Rhinos** in the pack. They roared and stomped their feet as they chased after the humans. The **Dire Wolves** and the **Raging Rhinos** were clearly faster than the gorilla-like monsters and the humans, quickly closing the distance between the humans and themselves. However, before they could get close enough to land a hit –

"**Massive Pebble Barrage!**" The sound of whizzing pierced the forest. Immediately following the sound was the sight of blurring objects flying past the players and crashing straight into the monster pack, so mass in their numbers that the sky seemed to be covered. All of chasing monsters stopped in their tracks, whimpering or seeming surprised at the sudden barrage of attacks. Then, as one, every single one of them disappeared and shattered into polygons.

The players, obviously shocked, walked backwards from the spot they were standing on and fell to the floor, gasping for breath to sate their needy lungs. They then turned around to see who saved them. On top of a tree was a teenager with spiky blond hair, calmly throwing a **Pebble** into the air and catching it in his palm. He seemed calm, but his eyes showed excitement.

_Kami…I think I've found the most overpowered weapon in the game! I'll practice with swords and daggers to get the skills but…holy crap! __**Pebbles**__ with Chakra it is!_

Naruto jumped off the tree and flipped in midair, landing on his feet gracefully in a feat of acrobatics. He looked at each of the shocked players, assessing them and checking for any visible injuries.

"Are you five alright?" The players could only nod their heads, not trusting their voices at the moment. Naruto nodded, content with their response, and walked away, going deeper into the forest. He had some experiments to try out.

When he had gotten out of earshot, the five players had barely gained enough of their composure to say –

"Kami…did he kill them all with a **Pebble**?"

**XShuyaX**

(Time Skip: 2 Days)

The door to the boss room opened, creaking and groaning from the strain. Fifty seven clearers ran into the room, confident and prepared to fight the boss. Each of them had prepared and grinded to the best of their abilities to fight the boss, grinding every day and deep into the night. With the **EXP**, Col, and loot they received, most of the players were able to replace their gear for superior equipment, and some even managed to upgrade their weapons at the Blacksmith's.

Naruto calmly walked in alone, no person in his party for this boss battle. He had no sword or weapon visible except for a **Pebble** he calmly threw into the air and caught in his hand. At the meeting, he remained invisible to everyone, not wanting to be in a party of a group, even going so far to remain out of sight to Asuna, Kirito, and especially Silica, who seemed slightly different. She was still the same, cute, smiling girl, but something in her eyes looked different when Naruto saw her. She seemed even more determined to help everyone possible.

_Seems like she understood…but at what cost?_

Naruto cursed himself every time he thought about what he did the first night on the **Fourth** **Floor**, letting his emotions control himself and possibly ruining a friendship. And every time he got pissed at himself for his actions, he tried to mitigate the guilt by stating it was a necessity or else she would die…but he knew he was lying to himself. There were so many other ways of going around it, and Naruto had just ignored every one of them, letting his emotion do the action. '_Worst mistake of my life_' was the thought he had after every time he went through multiple scenarios in his head. Of all the ways he could have done it, his was the worst…by far.

Naruto shook his head.

_I can't think about these thoughts right now. Get your head in the game! Boss battle! Come on, Naruto. LET'S GET WILD!_

Naruto's face visibly lost its tenseness and calmed down, a feral smile replacing his frown from only a moment before.

In the large hall with columns on the side of the room to hold up the ceiling, a bestial…**Centipede** with no skin, but only bones and scythes crawled into the room. Then, fifty seven identical bestial **Centipedes** flashed into the room.

_Yup…I counted. Fifty-seven of them. They always come in the same number as the clearers in the boss room._

However, no matter how closely the clearers looked and scrutinized them, the boss and its minions had no difference. In fact, it was as if they were all bosses and not a single one of them were minions. That disturbed their thoughts for a moment, but all their thoughts were lost when one of the players yelled out –

"Charge!"

The rest of the players responded in like, roaring and yelling at the top of their lungs, their swords raised and glowing. The centipedes began to crawl forwards to meet the clearers at the middle of the room.

However, when the distance between the two large groups closed to fifty yards, a distance that could be easily cleared in three seconds between the two forces, a large shadow loomed over the players. They all stopped their charge for a moment, looking up. Then, they all stopped dead, just staring at the spectacle that was happening before them.

**Pebbles**…thousands of **Pebbles** were whizzing and slicing through the air, harshly hitting every **Centipede** in the room, leaving none of them unscathed. The ceiling became invisible behind the wall of **Pebbles** flying through the air on top of the clearers, their jaws dropped and their eyes out of their sockets. Naruto almost stopped firing off his projectiles when he saw their faces…nope, he stopped.

"Gahahaha! You-your faces…HAHAHA!" Naruto stopped his barrage of airborne projectiles, laughing and cracking up. The players just continued to stand still, slack-jawed and unbelieving of what had just happened. All…every single one of the bosses…were gone. They had all shattered and disappeared, one time or another, during the barrage of **Pebbles.** **Pebbles!** The pure ridiculousness of the thought or even the idea of it would have made every single player laugh if they had not seen it with their own eyes. And it had just happened before them! Thousands of possibly the weakest weapon…no, not even a weapon, in the game…finished off the boss in record time with almost no effort!

They all turned as one to stare at…the child, or the teenager, laughing and rolling on the floor in a fit of hysteria.

"HAHAHA! HAHAHAHAHA! I CAN'T- AHHH MY SIDES- HAHAHA!"

***Congratulations! You have defeated the Army of Skeletal Centipedes!***

***Congratulations! You have leveled up!***

***Congratulations! You got the Last Attack Bonus! You have obtained Black Gauntlets!***

The messages only made him laugh harder. Tears began to roll out of Naruto's eyes as his sides burned from laughing so hard.

Suddenly, a sound was heard from the clearers. Someone chuckled. Then someone else chuckled. Then, the whole dam burst as everyone joined in Naruto's hysteria, laughing and cheering uncontrollably. They had possibly found the most overpowered and fastest way to clearing the game!

They continued to laugh deep into the night, even after the clearers had split up on the **Fifth** **Floor**. Naruto had earned the honors to open the door with the approval of everyone, though he was still shuddering and laughing as he did so. As soon as he opened the door and the congratulatory music hit his ear, he couldn't contain himself any longer and burst out laughing again as he ran to take his first steps on the new floor. It was possibly the one of happiest days of **SAO** to everyone still alive. They could hope once more. The dreams of the outside world was becoming a reality.

Things were looking up for them.

**XShuyaX**

(Time Skip: 3 Days Later)

Three days…and four floors later, Naruto was once again practicing his sword and dagger skills on a random mountaintop, sweating profusely. His arms were burning from the strain, screaming with exhaustion as he swung his sword in a diagonal arc that could slice a man through the shoulder all the way down to his hip bone. Then, Naruto spun quickly on his toes, leading with his sword. It swung horizontally, slashing through the air in a blur of movement. Naruto began another strike before his knees gave out on him and he dropped to the floor from exhaustion.

"Haa…haa…haa…"

He panted, gasping for air to fill his empty lungs. He stared up at the sky as his sweaty body cooled. The blue sky had no clouds, the sun's heat beating down on him...but it looked so open, so free. That was exactly how every player was feeling right now. **Pebbles** had quickly taken over all the weapons in the game, replacing sword, daggers, axes, all weapons alike. With the new projectile as a weapon, every player focused on their **Throwing Skill**, increasing it as much as possible in the short period of time. Thanks to Naruto's ingenuity, they had been able to clear four floors in just three days, a huge accomplishment.

However, Kayaba Akihiko decided it was enough and put a patch to **Pebbles** dealing damage. Not even one **Pebble** could do damage anymore to any monsters. However, the patch did not prevent daggers or swords from being thrown. In fact, most players were investing their Col on weapons that could be easily thrown and retrieved.

Naruto, however, felt that **Sword Skills** would get the players the farthest. As he continued to lie down the on the ground, shirtless and still sweating as the afternoon breeze caressed his body, he knew that eventually…Kayaba would take out **Throwing Abilities** altogether. He knew that the master of the world didn't want the players to clear the castle so easily. Naruto was certain pride was a factor. The players had found multiple loopholes and exploited them to exponentially speed up their escape from the cursed castle called **Aincrad**. Besides, the game was called **Sword Art Online** for a reason. Throwing weapons would be taken out sooner or later.

Kayaba would never let it be that easy for them. Never. In fact, Naruto was certain that Kayaba would make some bosses harder just because they had played him. It didn't matter to him right now. All the players alive were in high spirits, dancing in town and talking freely, their despair and negative emotions almost completely gone from their systems. This was what Naruto wanted to give to them.

Hope.

Hope would begin everything. It would start the movement in the mass of players, making them to become stronger and more unified. It would draw the players together until they were possibly 8,000 strong players, no…clearers. Front liners. Yes…that was it.

Front liners.

Naruto smiled. That was something that he would dream and wish for. 8,000 front liners strong enough to burst their way through every floor and clear the death game, the impossible MMO, their reality, in a matter of months. Just the thought made excited.

_If things keep going like this, then it might…just happen._

Naruto raised his hand from the ground, reaching out to the sky. Then, he gripped it harshly, balling his hand into a fist.

_And then…we'll blast through every level and crush you, Kayaba!_

***Congratulations! You have leveled up!***

Naruto looked at the holographic message before he unrolled his fist and pressed the button in his menu.

**Level: 30**

**Stats:**

**Points: 4**

**Strength: 72(+12)**

**Defense: 49(+10)**

**Agility: 150(+60)(+12)**

**Intelligence: 60(+5)**

**Luck: 165(+0)**

**Chakra Pool: 9999/?**

**Chakra Control: 1000/1000***

**Academy Chakra Control: 588/1000**

**Sword: 433/1000**

**Dagger: 387/1000**

**Abilities:**

**Horizontal: 1000/1000***

**Horizontal Square: 0/1000**

**Slant: 311/1000**

**Vertical: 1000/1000***

**Vertical Square: 27/1000**

**Kawamiri no Jutsu: 1000/1000***

**Henge: 15/1000**

**Bunshin no Jutsu: 422/1000**

**Kage Bunshin no Jutsu: 753/1000**

**Tree Walking: 1000/1000***

**Water Walking: 877/1000**

**Kunai Spin Chakra Control: 0/1000**

**Dynamic Entry: 44/1000**

**Leaf Whirlwind: 25/1000**

**A Lost Art: ?/?**

**Rasengan: 0/1000**

**Special Abilites:**

**Points: 1**

**Hear My Roar: 9/9**

**Becoming the Flash: 20/50**

Naruto immediately used his new point to **Becoming the Flash**. Every point dedicated to it earned him a 2% increase in speed. It didn't seem like much but…every single percent added up made a significant difference.

Scrolling through his **Stats**, Naruto saw a new ability.

_**Rasengan**__? Spiraling Sphere?_

Naruto pressed it, intrigued.

_**Rasengan:**_

_**A deadly chakra-based attack that requires an extreme control of shape manipulation. In order to create the Rasengan, wildly spinning chakra must be contained within a sphere while a high degree of power and chakra must be pumped into the Jutsu to make it deadlier and more violent. The more control, the larger and more powerful the ability can become.  
Unlocked by: Reaching Level 30**_

Naruto pressed on the demonstration option. It showed another Naruto creating a blue orb of wildly spinning chakra, levitating it on the palm of his hand. A large tree appeared out of nowhere in front of the demonstrating avatar. The avatar Naruto charged and hit the tree with the **Rasengan**, obliterating the tree and leaving a gaping hole the size of a large basketball.

Naruto grinned. Now this was an ability that he liked the sound and sight of. And…the description said it could get bigger as his control and power increased.

_And bigger is better._

Naruto got off the floor by jumping to his feet, his blood pumping, excited at the prospect of having such a powerful ability in his arsenal.

"**Tajuu Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!**" A thousand clones 'poofed' into the empty mountaintop, all shirtless, sweating, drenched, but determined like the original.

"Let's get started!"

"Osu!"

The thousand Naruto's tried to hours to create the technique to fit into his palm. Rotation. Power. And Containment. Naruto had already figured that out, but it was the practice and experience that was required…and so far, that wasn't looking so good. Hundreds of his clones experienced the technique blowing up in their face, 'poofing' out of existence from the backlash.

When night fell, Naruto dropped to the floor, exhausted _and _out of chakra.

_How long with this ability take to learn?_

Naruto tried to stay awake to think about his new ability and the possible things he could use it for, but sleep eventually won the battle over Naruto's consciousness.

**XShuyaX**

(Time Skip: 4 Days Later)

Once again, the clearers were in front of the boss room. However, instead of being the normal fifty or sixty clearers, it was over a hundred players waiting in front of the door, prepared and excited for battle.

Naruto looked around, smiling at the prospect that his wish may already may be coming true. They were chattering and talking off their fears. There was almost no tension in the air, as if it a boss battle was now a normal occurrence.

The new clearing leader nodded his head, his face showing no emotions. However, even his spirits and dreads were lightened by the sheer number of people that showed up to fight against the boss. Even after the loss of the almighty weapon, the **Pebble**, the game may flow just as quickly if a large number of clearers continued to help and even grow numbers.

Nodding his head once again, the leader coughed into his fist to gather the attention of the players.

"For everyone here, today is another stepping stone to the end of this castle so we can returne to our loved ones, our lives, and our families waiting out of this death game. Today is our reality, our hope, and our aspirations! Today is where we make our difference! Today is where we make our and step forwards! We will survive! We will prevail! And today, we will WIN!"

Every player cheered, taking the leader's words to heart. When the door opened, every man and woman's blood was at the peak point; a single movement would result in a killing blow without a single hesitation.

_Charismatic bastard. Heh, at least he was better than __**Heavenly Dragon Alliance**__'s leader at giving speeches. Man, that guy would make me stop eating ramen just to tell him to shut up._

Naruto calmly walked into the room with his four man group. He gripped his **Broken Dragonscale Sword**, preparing himself mentally for battle. He had earned the sword through a quest that went from the third to the ninth floor. It wasn't exactly all that difficult…for Naruto due to his level and special ability, but any other person would've given up and quit the quest after the first floor. Finishing every quest on every floor and keeping up with the clearing speed was honestly quite ridiculous. Naruto was only able to do the last four floors in time with the use of his **Kage Bunshin**, which he found out can do quests by themselves and still net **EXP**, although that was also quickly patched by the ultimate bastard controlling the game.

He looked up from his sword and stared straight forwards, unflinching as the monsters began to flash into the room on the opposite end. They were in front of the **Entrance **to the **Tenth Floor**, as if defending it.

"Now that…is a seriously ugly monster. It's almost as bad as those two guys with tutus…" Naruto's eyes lost its composure for a moment.

…_when I stopped them from messing with Silica._

Naruto shook his head and regained his focus. It wasn't the time or place to think about something like that. Especially not right before a boss battle.

He focused his eyes back on the monsters. Giant, grotesque lions with flaming blue manes on each of their backs stood tall, snarling at the clearers. Their claws glinted in the light from the ceiling, all of their muscles tensed and ready to explode.

"I'm not kidding. Was Kayaba a biologist when he was younger o something? And is he making all these giant stuff to make up for something?" The largest lion then flashed in. It was the boss. It had a red mane and was significantly larger than the other sentinel lions. It roared bestially as its four health bars came into vision.

"**ROOOARRR**!"

Naruto turned his head to look at the leader of the clearers for the **Ninth Floor**, a tall man with glasses and a brown cloak to cover his body. Apparently, he had one of the highest **Intelligence** stats in the game without using any of his stats on it. Although Kayaba said it was a joke, the stats still meant something. **Intelligence** would show which person could make better plans immediately and adapt to situations at the critical moment. Naruto hoped this was the case for the leader.

"What will you do? The lions are probably much faster and stronger than us. Also, they came in equal numbers as the clearers, so what is your next order?" The man's glasses glinted as he shifted it with his index finger.

"The tanks should go first to soak up the damage and garner the **Hate** to themselves. Then, the heavy hitters will immediately follow and deal as much damage as possible to the sentinels. Leave the boss alone and ignore it. If the boss charges at any players, the tanks must stop it. Supports: Make sure to stay alert for any players that need help. Go!"

Half the clearers roared and ran forwards with the tanks in front, the heavy hitters following immediately behind. The other half of the clearers stayed behind and would act as a relief group until they were needed for the battle.

Half the lions roared and charged as well, coming in a wide line. The boss stayed back with the other half of its sentinels, standing proud and calm as it stared at the charging humans. It licked its lips and growled silently.

"Go men! Attack!" The two lines crashed, becoming a sea of lions and humans in the middle of the room. The sounds of battle immediately followed; lions roared and snarled and the clearers yelled out as their **Sword Skills** slashed through lion and empty air alike.

The tanks and the heavy hitters grouped in pairs to maximize the damage. The tanks would gather the enemy lion's **Hate** and focus it on themselves, and then the heavy hitters would dive in and dish out as much damage as possible. It was efficient and clean, and so far, there were no deaths on the clearer's part. After about five minutes, the first lion shattered into polygons.

Clearers get first blood.

After that, the clearers had a small advantage, which they exploited immediately. It quickly became a numbers game. The players surrounded lions and switched at ridiculous rates to take out the sentinels.

When there were about five lions left, loud cheering and yelling could be heard from the relief group.

"Let's party!"

"Our turn!"

"Switch!"

The relief group ran in, charging as the lion's other group began to charge in to help their struggling brethren. Again, the tanks lead the way for the clearers, taking the brunt of the damage and forcing the lions to focus their **Hate** on them while the heavy hitters constantly dished out hard damage.

The first group became the relief group as they ran back near the entrance of the boss room to catch their breath. The leader kept his eyes on the battlefield, looking back and forth analytically.

Naruto sat down and sheathed his **Broken Dragonscale Sword**. He took out a water bottle from his inventory and drank a generous portion from it. He had taken out ten of the lions, netting him a decent amount of **EXP**, but the sentinels had a lot more **Health Points** and **Defense** than he was expecting.

_At least they aren't smart. They can't make or follow plans like we can._

The blonde looked from left to right, making sure each clearer was fine. So far, none of them were in any actual danger; every player was still above 60%. Whenever any of the players went into the yellow, a support quickly ran in and gave them a potion.

Kirito was obviously having no problems in the midst of the battle, easily dodging and countering with deft slashes and **Sword Skills**. He had taken out a decent number of the sentinels already by himself. None of tanks wanted him on his group, and he preferred to solo unless he was with either Naruto or Asuna, since they were the only players that could currently keep up with him all out. So, it was mutual when no one wanted Kirito, and he wanted none of them.

Shifting his glance, Naruto saw Asuna and Silica working together flawlessly. Obviously, they had trained together for the past few days during the **Pebble **mania. Naruto had not seen them during any of the boss meetings or battles during those three days.

Asuna quickly used **Linear** on a Lion sentinel, obliterating its health. As it shattered, Asuna's face twitched a little but kept its serious expression. Naruto then looked to Silica. She was quickly dodging and jumping around, her face also adorning a serious expression. She dodged a swipe from a lion and immediately capitalized on the overextension by jumping inside the lion's guard, slashing across its stomach and torso. It roared as it shattered into blue polygons.

Some movement behind the clashing lines caught Naruto's attention. The largest lion with the flaming red mane began to walk forwards, its name appearing on top of its head.

_Four __**Health Bars**__. Its name is…__**Gregor, the Corrupted Lion**__. _

"Get back, the boss is coming!" The leader ordered to the fighting clearers.

"Osu!" The clearers fighting the lions heeded the leader, dishing out a last hit and then immediately dropping their fights with the lions to rush back. Then, they would group up once more and prepare themselves for the final stage of the battle. The leader looked around, making sure everyone was back.

'_No deaths so far. Lucky us.' _The leader thought.

Twelve lions and the boss stood together in a line, snarling and growling at the clearers. The clearers all glared back at them, not willing to back down an inch. Naruto's focus was completely on the boss, staring at its glowing red eyes. He stood up and unsheathed his weapon once more, making a 'shhhnk' sound, preparing for combat.

"This is it! Everyone charge!" The over hundred players roared in response, charging in with their axes, swords, blades, and daggers blazing with their **Sword Skills**.

Then…something happened that no one was expecting. The boss…ate the lion directly to its right, its teeth sinking into the smaller lion's neck. When the sentinel's entire **HP **had disappeared, the lion shattered. However, the boss became larger and its muscles became bulkier and more defined. It roared defiantly, raising its head to the ceiling before casting its eyes on the players once more.

They all stopped charging and said the same thing in unison.

"…shit…"

The boss, **Gregor**, started eating into another lion. The leader quickly gathered his bearings and gave everyone the new plan.

"The boss cannibalizing and it's somehow making it stronger! Quickly, charge and stop it from eating as many as possible! GO GO GO!"

Naruto heeded the order, sprinting to the boss and jumping high into the air when he was close enough. He raised his sword above his head, ready to bring it down on the boss's mane, his sword glowing white.

"**VERTICAL**!" He slashed downwards to strike the nape of the neck, but the boss jumped to the left at the last moment as the sentinel disappeared from its mouth, shattering into polygons. Naruto hit nothing but air, messing up his momentum, but he managed to right himself in midair by flipping. Landing on the balls of his feet, he immediately charged the closest lion sentinel.

"Take out as many as the sentinels as you can! If you kill them, the boss can't eat them!" he yelled. The clearers acknowledged this, immediately changing their focus to the remaining ten lion sentinels.

Naruto pulled out his **Baroque Blade** from his **Quick Slot** so that his **Agility** would increase, palming it with his left hand. He ran up to one of the lions, dodging its swipe by flipping into the air.

"**Leaf Whirlwind**!" Naruto kicked the lion in the face, but continued spinning with both of his swords extended. The lion fell to the floor, and when it tried to get up, Naruto fell spinning vertically, his swords slashing and slicing into the body of the lion, quickly draining its **HP** and killing it.

***Congratulations! You have leveled up!***

_Oh? Later! I have to focus on the battle right now!_

Naruto turned his head to look for the next closest lion. He was about to sprint towards until before he saw another player about to be hit by a boss, **Gregor**, behind his back. Naruto immediately changed his focus, sprinting the fifty yards and closing the distance within two seconds.

Right before the boss's leg swipe hit the inconspicuous player, Naruto appeared in front of the boss and deflected the swipe by hitting its paw with the blunt side of his sword. **Gregor **roared at Naruto as it backed away for a moment. It had bulked up even more muscle mass and had gotten even taller during the short interval of time Naruto kept his eyes off of it. He turned around to look at the player he had just saved.

"Be careful next time. Go help the other players." The player had black hair and had an average stature and height. There was nothing really outstanding or noticing about him that would make Naruto remember him. The player just gave a thankful nod and ran to help the other players against the few remaining lions, all of them surrounded by players.

Naruto shifted his gaze back at the colossal lion, its mane burning a royal red color. Its eyes seemed to have the same fire in the depths of its iris. Naruto raised both of his blades and bent his knees, placing pressure on the balls of his feet. He tensed his leg muscles and kept his upper body loose, ready to explode into motion at any kind of motion from the boss.

Suddenly, the boss's leg was in front of Naruto in mid-swipe. Naruto leaned his body far back and bent his back in an impossibly flexible arc, almost hitting his head on the floor. He looked up to see the swipe barely going over his belt buckle, where this waist would have been if he had not dodged. As soon as the leg passed him, Naruto whipped his body straight up and blurred into action, charging at the boss.

_You're not the only one that can move fast!_

Naruto appeared in front of the boss's face, almost the size of Naruto's whole frame. He glared straight into its eyes as he slashed down in a vicious arc to start his four-hit combo, **Vertical Square**. His first slash went straight down **Gregor**'s left eye, impairing its vision and dealing critical damage from striking an extremely vulnerable spot.

The boss roared as it thrashed its head from side to side. As soon as it looked up to the ceiling, Naruto capitalized on the opportunity. The neck was wide open. He slashed horizontally, his sword still glowing. The slice left a deep, glowing red mark on the boss's neck. **Gregor**'s voice cracked for a moment, but it continued to thrash its body in pain. Naruto dropped to the ground and slashed twice more on the boss's front legs to complete his **Sword Skill**, cutting completely through the bulky muscles and tendons.

The boss roared again, in pain and anger. Naruto stared up at it, unable to move due to his frozen period after using a sword skill. One second. That was enough time for the boss to regain its focus barely enough to send an accurate swipe at Naruto's location.

A blur appeared in front of Naruto, blocking the swipe, and then slashing at the offending leg.

"Idiot, do I always have to save you?" Naruto smirked as Kirito turned his head to glance at him. Kirito's **Coat of Midnight** flapped and rippled from his sudden movement, making him look somewhat cool in Naruto's eyes.

_But not as cool as me. Ha!_

"Not really. I only would've lost around 15% of my health. I took out a whole 20% of the boss's health. See?" Kirito turned his head back to the boss, the main course of the battle in the sea of appetizers.

"That's only because you struck at its weakest points. Really? Slashing across the eye?" **Gregor, the Corrupt Lion** roared again, directing all of its anger at the two boys standing before it. It stood tall and angered on its hind legs, looming over the boys, completely overshadowing the two.

"And the neck…oh wait, don't forget about the knees!" Kirito sighed as the boss began to bring its two front legs back down to earth to crush the two boys.

"Kami…this boss is so…" Kirito disappeared from vision. Naruto looked at the paw that was coming down on him. When it had touched the tip of a single spiky hair, Naruto blurred from vision, appearing behind the boss with his right arm extended, his sword in the position of an already finished swing, a white hue fading from its edges.

"…slow." Two twin, long gashes appeared on the boss's stomach, the trail marking where Kirito and Naruto's swords had slashed.

"**Horizontal**," they said in unison.

"Everyone, on the boss. GO!" The leader yelled out. The two boys turned to see that all the lions had been taken care of. All the clearers were closing in on the boss, trying to surround it to prevent it from escaping.

"Don't surround it! It may have an **AOE** attack!" Kirito yelled desperately as the players began to surround the boss.

"Shut up, **Beater**! You just want the **Last Attack**!"

"Get out of the way!"

_Are you serious! This is serious, and they're letting their prejudice to cloud their judgment during a boss battle!_

"He said GET BACK!"Naruto ordered as loudly as he could, although it was too quiet to be heard over the clamor of the battle cries and shouts. Once again, he was too late…just like on the first floor. The giant lion jumped high into the air, blowing up like a balloon and somehow becoming multiple times larger as it began to fall back to the earth. Naruto stared up, surprised at the insane ability that could possibly kill every player in the room if they were all caught.

_He's going to crush us! We need to move!_

"GET OUT OF THE WAY!"

All the players screamed as they ran and jumped to get out the massive ability's range, throwing each other and pushing others down. When Naruto was barely out of range, he turned and saw Silica was still near the middle, stuck and crowded by the players. He immediately turned back and started running to the center of where the boss would land.

_Three seconds!_

Naruto pushed through all the players running the opposite way, fighting through with just brute strength to try and make it in time. Silica was trying to get out, but she was too small and wasn't strong enough to force her way out. She would be the only one not to make it.

_Two seconds!_

Naruto was ten feet away from her, closing the distance quickly. In another half second, he was in front of her and already raising her in his arms in a bridal carry.

_GOOOOO!_

The boss's expanded body was coming down, almost on top of Naruto immediately. Before Naruto picked up Silica, he threw a **Pebble** as hard as he could, although it was still in midair and almost out of the boss's range. As the boss came down, Naruto could only see the red stomach that overshadowed him completely, becoming his ceiling. It came towards him in slow motion. He lowered himself as much as he could to gain as much time as possible, trying to gain those few precious milliseconds for the rock to make it out of range. He glared up, watching it come closer…and closer. Silica was staring up in fear, her serious façade gone. Right when it was about to crush him…

_Make it in time! __**Kawamiri no Jutsu!**_

A loud 'boom' reverberated throughout the room as the boss landed. Only two people had been crushed, but that also meant two people had died.

"Naruto…" Kirito said, his arm raised, his hand reaching out for his friend that was under the boss. He clenched his fist, his eyes gaining a murderous gleam as he trembled and seethed in anger. He would have his revenge. He saw Naruto run back in to try and save someone.

_Idiot! Why did you have to do that?_

"Silica-chan…" Asuna cried out, tears coming out of her eyes from seeing someone close to her die. She saw Silica in the middle, unable to run out due to her size in the mass of players running out. She was stuck. Asuna gripped her rapier's hilt, raising the weapon until its tip was pointing at the boss.

"What? I'm not dead." The two players turned around to see Naruto holding Silica in his arms, his knees on the floor. He got up quickly and let Silica to stand on her own.

"What are you looking at you idiots?! Get the boss when it's on its lazy ass!"

The boss wasn't able to move for the next ten seconds, releasing its expansive size so it could get up and fight back again. That was the ability's massive drawback: a huge time period where the user was left vulnerable.

However, that was just enough time for it to lose its entire **HP**. All the players had charged in, throwing sword skill after sword skill on the boss. Naruto used both of his swords, dealing constant damage with his repeating slices and slashes.

Eventually, the boss shattered into polygons and disappeared. All the players breathed in as one, letting the tension out of their body. They were all proud of themselves, especially the new clearers that had joined in for their first boss battle.

"Well…that certainly was anticlimactic." Naruto said. All the clearers in the room sweatdropped.

Then, the congratulatory sign appeared in midair in a hologram for the defeating the floor boss.

***Congratulations! You have defeated Gregor, the Corrupted Lion!***

***Congratulations! You got the Last Attack! You have obtained Dark Coat!***

Naruto's eyebrow twitched as he stared at the name of the item he had just obtained.

_I'm not even joking. What is with all these __**Black **__and __**Dark**__ items I'm getting from __**Last Attacks**__?I'm not emo, Kayaba, you bastard._

He grunted and closed the message, opening his stats and putting his four **Stat Points** from leveling up during the battle to **Agility**, and one point from his **Special **to **Becoming The Flash**.

"Hah…finally. I think I'm going to take a break after this." Naruto leaned back, reaching his hands as high as possible as he yawned and stretched out. "Meh, so sick of just doing quests and running around all day."

_Besides, clones can do all the training I need._

When Naruto had dropped his arms to his side, someone patted Naruto on his shoulder to get his attention. The blonde turned around. He saw Kirito with Asuna and Silica standing next to him.

"Want to get dinner? Good time to relax and also try out the new food on the upper floor." Naruto looked from Kirito to Asuna, and then at Silica. She was looking at the floor. Suddenly, a strange weight began to clench his chest as he looked at Silica acting nervous around him. It shouldn't have been this way.

_I guess she's still awkward around me…I'll have to fix that sooner or later. Better now._

Suddenly, Naruto's dream came into his mind, flashing clearly in his memories. Kirito had said the same thing to him during his dream!

"Sure. Do you two mind if…" Kirito and Asuna got the message when Naruto shifted his gaze to Silica and back to them. Kirito nodded.

"Sure. Go ahead." Asuna said for both of them. They turned on their heels and walked to the **Entrance** to the **Tenth Floor**.

Naruto looked away from them and back to Silica. She was still looking at the floor and was unresponsive.

"Let's go talk somewhere else." He then turned and began to walk up the stairs as well, without even making sure if Silica was behind him. If she wasn't ready to talk to him, he was fine. He would wait as long as she needed to apologize to her.

When he entered the new town, he was surprised by the amount of lights. Lanterns hung everywhere on strings going from rooftop to rooftop. All the street lamps lighted up every pathway. Everything else remained the same as the **Ninth Floor**. There were a few inns and hotels, a few houses for people to buy and live in, and a teleport gate in the middle of the plaza.

Naruto turned around to see if Silica was following him. She was staring at him but immediately looked off to the side when he turned to check on her. He chuckled quietly to himself, his body shaking lightly from the action.

He faced forwards again and walked in a random direction, turning left past an inn, turning right past a weapons shop, right again at a blacksmiths. Finally, he stopped when he reached an alleyway.

_Strange…we always seem to have our serious talks in alleyways._

Naruto leaned against the alley wall. Silica took her spot on the opposite wall, twiddling her thumbs, obviously nervous but wondering what Naruto would say to her.

"Don't be nervous, Silica-chan. I'm not going to hurt you." Silica stopped playing with her fingers and looked up at Naruto. He gave her a small smile, his eyes showing complete warmth and compassion with a tinge of guilt…no, a lot of guilt.

"I just wanted to say…I'm sorry. I know I hurt you with what I said on the **Fourth Floor**, letting my emotions control what I said." He paused, and then continued. "That was really stupid of me, and I'm sorry. You're one of my friends, and I don't ever want to hurt my friends. I should have controlled my emotions better." Naruto paused again, thinking of the next things that he would say…but the words just didn't seem to fit the moment. So, he got off the wall and took a few steps closer to Silica, getting closer until he was right in front of her.

"It's been only been about a week, but I keep on thinking of what I said and I feel so stupid every time. I could have comforted you afterwards, or said it when I was calmer, or even kept leveling up with you until you were stronger, but I yelled at you instead and got angry…I'm really sorry, Silica-chan. I never meant to do that, and I'll never do it again. I promise." Silica remained silent, just looking into Naruto's eyes. Small tears came into his eyes as he closed it to prevent it from being seen. He hated it, feeling vulnerable, both emotionally and physically. He never meant to hurt anyone, especially a friend. Hell, he wouldn't even hurt Kibaou-teme on purpose. Kibaou was a man and could take some hits, but those hits were what were needed for Naruto to get his message across and teach that damn teme a lesson. But a friend like Silica…someone that was actually somewhat close to him and someone he could call consider precious in the future, especially now because she may actually die, he never would have imagined hurting someone like her. If there was anything that Naruto treasured as much as his family, it would be his friends.

_Damn it...why did it have to come to this?_

"I…forgive you. I was never really mad at you." Naruto opened his eyes in surprise. Two teardrops came out of his eyes, splashing on the cement floor. He looked at Silica, waiting for her to say something.

She began to play with her thumbs again, staring to her left side, and then back up to Naruto. "True, your words hurt me, and it stung for a while…actually, it still hurts now…but they were true. I _would_ have died…and I don't want to even think about that. Maybe there were better ways of saying it or expressing it to me…but now I'll never forget it…so…"

Then, she said it again. The words that made Naruto lose all of his worries and nervousness that was suffocating him.

"…I forgive you."

Naruto blinked his eyes once, then twice. Silica dropped her head and stared at the floor, embarrassed slightly from speaking her mind truthfully. Suddenly, she was lifted off the ground and caught in a strong hug, and then spun around multiple times in the air. Naruto began to laugh out loud, his spirits high and his sadness vanished.

"Ahh! Le-let me down!" Naruto just kept laughing and spinning, holding up Silica in his arms. It was almost comedic how Naruto's face was completely clean with no tear tracks or worry marring his face in any way. He seemed to be only twinkles and sparkles at the moment, his demeanor completely changed for worry to complete bliss.

"Hahaha! OK, let's go get dinner with Kirito and Asuna! I'm starving. I'm going to get so much ramen tonight!" Silica, who was nervous and embarrassed from being held up in the air in Naruto's arms, suddenly gained a deadly glint in her eyes. She smashed her fist into the back of Naruto's head, sending him flying out of the alleyway and into a wall on the other side of the street after he dropped her.

"NO RAMEN!"

Naruto just laughed heartily, for once willing to let someone talk down on ramen. A large bump appeared on his head as he slid down the wall in a comedic fashion.

"OK, Silica-chan."

**Chapter End**

**Omake: Charge Men!**

"Go men! For-"

"NARNIA!" Naruto screamed out randomly. A lot of the clearers charging just gave him incredulous and deadpan looks. Naruto just smiled back, his canine teeth flashing into view for a bit before he sprinted forwards.

"NARNIAAAAA! ASLAN, YOU SHALL PAY!" Now everyone was giving him deadpan stares, even as they fought against the lions. Ironically, the name of the largest lion with the red name appeared: **Aslan, the Gallant Lion**. Everyone sweatdropped.

Naruto walked up to it, dropping to one knee and placing his sword in front of him vertically. The boss growled, and then bowed to Naruto. It's name changed suddenly.

**Aslan of Narnia.**

Naruto coughed to himself to prevent himself from laughing, but he was shaking already.

"What a rip-off. Kayaba, you're such a derp."

***This is a warning. Player will be patched if he continues his misconduct.***

"Screw you, Akihiko. You already patched me like ten times."

***Like I care***

"Hmph. Just give us the congratulations already for clearing the boss."

Instead of the congratulations, the boss roared, its name changing from **Aslan of Narnia **to **Gregor, the Corrupted Lion**. Naruto stared at the name…and stared… stared. Then he said-

"Screw you, Kayaba Akihiko."

***No, thank you***

******A/N: Wow…I don't know why but I expected this chapter to be longer since all my other chapters were generally 10k words. Oh well, I tried.**

**I'm sorry to say this but...I don't know how often I will be able to update after winter vacation. I'll try my best to keep a constant update, like once every month or something, but not like once a week or twice a week. That was just ridiculous. Meh, my schedule is going to screw me over in this last semester, I just know it.**

**I hope you enjoyed it! Last thing.**

**How does Kokuei Senkou sound for Naruto's name?**


	6. Chapter 5: Lazy Afternoons

**Chapter 5: Lazy Afternoons and the Fourth Month**

**A/N: Special Thanks to Vandenbz for being a bro. Finding all those grammar errors and giving some ideas, the appreciation is real.**

**Thank you guys soooo much for all of your support! I hope you guys had a good first week of the New Year! And for those of you going to school right now…well I'm sorry. But then again, I'm going next week so…I can't really be sorry for you, can I? **

**Going off tangent again. OK, so how have I been? I've been decent. This isn't really an A/N…it feels more like a rant…I'll stop. Gah.**

**WARNING: THIS CHAPTER IS FLUFFY!**

**Review Responses (Now that I can actually respond):**

**Eniox27: I'm glad you liked the omake. It was just for fun when I thought about it. :D**

**RikudoNaruto1: Agreed. :D**

**Hyrulian Hero Akai: Thanks man, I appreciate it. I'm glad you liked the omake. :D**

**Reader12345678910: that name…glad you liked it! :D**

**Adiermartus15: hahaha I know right? I hope that you enjoy this chapter just as much.**

**Dragon and Sword Master: I was laughing when I typed the last chapter. I felt that it was too…meh in the beginning. Omake… :D**

**Ahlerot: Thanks man! I'm really glad that you like my story so far. I'll keep trying to make it the same level or even higher as time goes on.**

**Lecalley21: LIES IT IS…huh. I don't know how to say it in English…um…what is it? Closest translation I believe is "rice punch"?**

**Reaper505: Thanks man! I'll try and make it even better.**

**Duesal10: man so many reviews haha. Thanks for the support, I really appreciate it. Yea, I didn't want Naruto to stick out too much on the second chapter. Also, I felt that I introduced Silica maybe a bit too early, but hey…it worked, right?**

**Kasumi Iynne: Thanks. I hope that this chapter is also to your liking. Although, there isn't much action. Sorry.**

**Orchamus: Thanks man. I'm thinking about it…but it's hard. Thinking of restrictions to not make Naruto too overpowered is kind of difficult, but there are some loopholes and things I can use.**

**Maragon11: Thanks for reading this fanfic story, although there is no real action in this chapter. I'm sorry about that. But I hope this chapter is still good.**

**Futon Lord: Um…is three too many? I didn't know that. Well…I guess so…kind of.**

**Silverfoxkurama: That's a great idea…but you're just going to have to wait and see (although I already put something in this chapter to appease you).**

**I just realized that a lot of my review responses have gotten a lot shorter…I'll remedy that next time. Still in lazy mode for the New Year. :D**

**Disclaimer: **

**Me: Gah…why does the author have nothing on SAO for so many floors.**

**Naruto: you could say you own those floors…they are your ideas, aren't they?**

**Me: No…I don't own the world of SAO at all…HECK, I don't even own you!**

**Naruto: You can't own me 'cuz I'm awesome. You're stupid.**

**Me: *sigh* I don't own the SAO or Naruto. I'm going to cry now.**

**HOPE YOU ENJOY!**

**Chapter 5 Start**

_Log Entry #528_

_August 28, 2027_

_We've just entered the __**59**__**th**__** Floor**__. I received two new abilities. With this, I am certain that every one of my abilities I have and will gain in the future will be either close to melee range. The abilities that increase any of my stats are extremely short and have long cooldown times. The same holds true for my more powerful chakra based abilities. They require an enormous amount of __**Chakra**__, require a long time to prepare, and also have long cooldown times._

_The floors have been getting more difficult lately. It seems that the monster mobs and groups have been gaining some intellect and battle tactics. They are beginning to deviate from normal mob activity. Some have even begun to run away when they are at low health. It's beginning to become frustrating to chase just for some __**EXP**__, but it's necessary. _

_I'll continue this entry at night. Currently, I am inside this floor's __**Dungeon**__, resting in the safe zone. Again, I am soloing, trying to gain as much map progress as possible before I return to town. However, I have not found the boss room yet. Hopefully, Asuna-chan, Kirito, or Silica-chan have better news than I will bring them when I return to town to meet up with them._

_Close Entry 13:48_

(Location: Tenth Floor)

**_February 9, 2026_**

"Kami! What the hell, Naruto?" Kirito grabbed his cup of water from the table and drank from it greedily, clearly frustrated. Naruto just stared back, calmly assessing the situation.

"Go, Kirito. I've been waiting for a while." Kirito slammed his cup back on the table harshly, shaking the table.

"Calm down, I know it's my turn!" Naruto just sniggered lightly at Kirito's dilemma and clear annoyance.

"You're telling me to calm down? Check yourself." Kirito just grumbled and stared at the chess board in front of him.

The two of them had decided to take a break from farming and clearing since the **EXP **they received from grinding was miniscule at this point. Both of them were above **Level 30**, Naruto currently stood at **Level 32**, and Kirito at **Level 31**. When the black haired swordsman found out that Naruto was still ahead, he steamed a bit, still confused at how someone who wasn't in the beta could be a higher level than himself. Naruto chuckled and patted Kirito's shoulder and said –

"That's…a secret." That ticked Kirito off.

It was currently noon, and the two teens were sitting in a random table in an outdoor restaurant. They had gone around the town, buying and testing out drinks and trying out what exotic foods the town had to offer in an effort to relax. It had already been four months into the game, and not once had they actually been able to let loose or not think about what lied ahead. Although Naruto said that the present was the most important moment, he himself was always thinking about the next step, the next floor, and what he should do in the future. Kirito was even worse. Whenever Naruto saw him, he was grinding out on the fields, taking a quest, or training his **Sword Skills**. When the **Tenth Floor** had been unlocked, however, Kirito and Naruto had decided to relax until the **Eleventh Floor**, which was where the **Dungeon** was unlocked…and the game's difficulty would get exponentially harder.

And so, the two teens had decided to walk around town, trying out smoothies, eating ice cream, dabbling with snacks and whatnot. Although, a few times Naruto had to give a glare to some people that were giving Kirito dirty glances. They just scoffed at Naruto and walked away, glancing back when they passed them to give Kirito one more dirty look to his back. The hatred and prejudice had still not gone away.

After a few hours of walking around, the two boys decided to take a break, which brought Kirito and Naruto to their current situation. Kirito was sweating and cursing himself, anxious and frustrated. Naruto was smiling triumphantly at the board on the table, once in a while casually smirking.

"I don't get it…when did you move that over there?" Naruto's smirk widened as he leaned back in his chair, stretching out and cracking his back in the process.

"Aahhh…that felt good." Naruto leaned back forwards, coming face to face with Kirito, although Kirito was still staring at the board that showed his utter defeat in strategizing and deceit.

"It doesn't make sense. I thought that I got you there…when did you have your rook over there?"

"Kirito, stop killing yourself over it; it's not a big deal. I just used misdirection, and plus, I've been playing chess for a while. I prefer shogi or go, but for some reason, **SAO** didn't have it, or at least not yet. Anyways, I've been playing chess for a while with my dad. He told me strategizing and understanding was more important and knowing what action to take was essential to survival out in the business world. Life…is like chess in a way."

Kirito looked up from the white and black checkered chess board. He then leaned his face on his palm, placing his elbow on the table in a lazy manner.

"Whatever. I think that technology will take over soon." Naruto's eyes gleamed for a moment.

"Hm…technology is essential, but knowledge is more important." Kirito raised his head at Naruto's assertive statement.

"Naruto, we're in a game where we have no knowledge of what happens next. These," he said, pointing at himself and then at Naruto, "aren't even our real bodies. We were just copied in the real world and placed here with our consciousness controlling these bodies through the NerveGear. You can't say that knowledge is more important at this moment."

Naruto shook his head in denial. He had to show his black haired counterpart the light of knowledge.

"Congratulations, Kirito. Did that get you an A+ on an essay in class with that logic?" Kirito just scoffed and turned his head away. "You have to have knowledge to even create this world. Knowledge and imagination are directly related. Without one, you couldn't have the other. Without knowledge about the possibility of a virtual reality MMO and an enormous amount of imagination, you wouldn't have a world like this."

Now, Kirito was shaking his head. This was one point that Naruto and Kirito just couldn't agree on. Which one was more important, knowledge and imagination or knowledge of technology.

"Whatever. I demand a rematch. It doesn't make sense how you won."

Naruto just shrugged his shoulders as he placed his pieces in the positions. When both players finished placing their pieces, Naruto leaned back as Kirito leaned forwards, determined to beat Naruto in at least one game of chess. He hated being second. It just didn't fit him.

"You're first." Kirito nodded and moved his pawn up two spots.

Naruto responded in kind, moving his king's pawn up one square. Afterwards, Kirito quickly moved his queen's pawn up one square to defend. However, Naruto did something unexpected afterwards.

"Naruto, why did you move up your king?"

Naruto just smiled knowingly, understanding Kirito's confusion.

"If the king does not lead, how does he expect his subjects to follow?" he cryptically responded. Kirito just scoffed at the enigmatic blonde's words and moved his knight into position for defense.

Twenty minutes later, Kirito was staring blankly at the chess board while Naruto was smirking as he drank his strawberry smoothie. Kirito glanced up at Naruto and said one word.

"…Again." Naruto just nodded his head calmly as he moved his pieces back to the starting position to start his new game.

**XShuyaX**

(Time Skip: 6 Hours)

"I call bullshit. This is ridiculous. Twenty seven games and I lost every single one of them." Kirito's calm façade was completely gone, replaced with a frustrated look. His irritation was clear as he gripped his hair with both hands, stressing himself over the simple game of chess.

"It just means I have a more analytical mind than you. It also helps I studied strategy while you studied things on technology, hmm?" Kirito glared at Naruto's smirking face.

"Shut up. Technology is eventually going to win and take over in the business world. I wouldn't be surprised if scientists eventually created sentient robots within this century to do our work for us." Naruto just smiled, already prepared with a comeback. Besides, he enjoyed having somewhat intellectual conversations, and if it came as an argument between knowledge and technology, who was he to stop it?

"I'm not going to deny that technology has progressed extremely rapidly in recent decades, but having sentient robots that act like us…is either never going to happen or extremely far in the future. Think about it for a moment. A robot can calculate and try to act like a human, but they won't have our mind. But then, let's say human progress gets to the point we can move the brain to the robot. Then what about our emotions? Our consciousness? They won't have it. Also, what about taste? Touch? Smell? All those senses which are unique to us as much as they are unique to other animals? How difficult will it be to make a robot that is as sentient and understanding as us? Also, let's say we're playing baseball. A robot will calculate the trajectory of the ball, correct? But humans, we just catch it because we feel that our mitt is in the right position based on the speed and direction of the ball. So unless scientists can create a robot that fits every requirement that makes us specifically human, until then, I won't call them truly sentient as humans."

Kirito just stared at Naruto, confused by where he got all of this information. Based on Naruto's argument, if that much information and processing was necessary for the eventual creation of sentient robots…then maybe Naruto was right.

Naruto just smirked at Kirito's conflicted face as he leaned forwards in his chair and said –

"See. Knowledge wins." Kirito grumbled, thoroughly annoyed.

"Oh, shut up already. Let's play another game."

**XShuyaX**

(Time Skip: 9 A.M., Next Morning)

Naruto and Kirito were walking in the town's streets again, exploring to see if there was anything they missed from the day before. Sadly, the town didn't seem to have much to offer, so both of them eventually gave up searching for something interesting or a hidden quest.

"Man, why didn't Silica or Asuna join us? I'm so bored."

"Are you calling me boring, Naruto?" Naruto just deadpanned at Kirito.

"Dude, around other people, you're just as sociable as a rock. Around me…you're just as sociable as…a misanthrope." Kirito turned his head to face Naruto, but the blonde was looking the other way. He looked straight ahead, staring at the stone street before him.

"I don't hate humans. I just dislike some of their ethics and judgments. Like how players call me **Beater** when they could be using the knowledge I have to their advantage. We could be going a lot faster when it comes to escaping this damned tower." Naruto nodded his head in agreement, also quite irritated at the stupidity and immatureness of the other players.

Naruto pushed his hands into his pockets as he began to whistle a tune.

"Maybe we should get Silica and Asuna. Your whistling sucks. At least they can sing better than you." Naruto just stared at Kirito, whose face had the same exact expression from before.

"Have you ever even heard me sing?" Kirito turned his head to stare, stopping in his tracks. Naruto stopped walking, prepared for a verbal argument and his certain victory.

"Do I need to?"

"You want to go to a karaoke bar?"

"No."

"I thought so."

The two continued to glare at each other until Naruto broke into a smile and began to walk away, whistling another tune. Kirito sighed as he pinched his nose, walking to catch up to Naruto's side.

"Anyways, you know why they can't join us."

"Nope, I don't. Please inform me."

"Silica's level is still around the low 20's, while Asuna is in the mid-20's, so grinding is still somewhat beneficial for her, while it is almost useless for us. However, that'll most likely change on the next floor when the **Dungeon **becomes available." Naruto nodded his head in understanding. Then, he turned his head from left to right, staring at the signs of multiple restaurants and shops, easily moving around the crowd of people. Still no sign of ramen.

"This still sucks."

"Agreed."

Silence descended on the pair as they calmly walked through the streets filled with people, one bored and annoyed while the other stayed calm and somewhat content. Finally, Naruto broke the silence.

"Hey, want to have a spar?"

Kirito raised his eyebrows in anticipation and confusion. A spar with Naruto was something he had wanted to do for quite some time. It would give him an actual assessment of Naruto's skills and abilities and give him a placement for where he was compared to the blonde.

"Sure, but where? And how?"

Naruto just smiled foxily.

"We're going to visit the old man's place."

Kirito raised his eyebrows again, this time in confusion.

**XShuyaX**

(Location: 2nd Floor, Mountaintop)

"Hey, Kurama! How've you been?"

The fox 'yipped' happily as it jumped onto Naruto's shoulders and placed its head against his spiky hair, _two _tails wrapping around his neck. Then, it proceeded to yawn and sleep.

"Meh…Kurama, you're not supposed to sleep that quickly," Naruto said, although he was smiling, albeit a bit confused by the increase in tails. Whatever made his neck warmer, right? It was good to see his permanent party member again. He had to leave Kurama on the **Second Floor** because the fox didn't seem to be prepared for battle quite yet. However, the old master seemed to see potential in the fox as a battle partner in the future, so the master promised to Naruto that he would train the fox until it was prepared to battle alongside the blonde student. Maybe the increase in tails indicated an increase in strength or in level?

"So…why are we up here again, Naruto? And what's with your fox? Is it supposed to have two tails?" Kirito was looking around the mountaintop, looking for any changes. Finding none, he turned back to Naruto, but not before assessing the surrounding and looking for any advantages in the terrain…and glancing at the fox once in a while.

"Well, no one will come up here since first of all, it's the **Second Floor**. No one could see how we fight and tell anyone else. Also, why would people randomly come up to the mountaintop? And finally…I like it up here."

Kirito sweatdropped.

_Really…you sounded logical until your last reason._

"As for Kurama," Naruto pointed his thumb at the sleeping fox on his head, "I don't really know. It's a game, so who cares. He's the same level as me, that's all I know." Kirito widened his eyes in surprise for a moment.

_If the fox is the same level as Naruto, then it should be ridiculously strong…for an animal. _

However, Kirito quickly reassumed his normal facial expression and cleared his throat.

"Whatever. So, how are we going to do this?" Naruto didn't respond. Instead, he pulled out his **Baroque Blade** and shifted into his battle stance. Placing his sword directly in front of him and his knees bent in a seemingly lazy fashion, it belied the tension in his leg muscles. Naruto's arms remained lax; however, this meant that he could immediately respond to any attacks and defend from almost any direction. All this information from Naruto's stance, Kirito deduced in a moment.

Kirito pulled his **Broken Dragonscale Sword** from his inventory and gripped it in a one sword hand style, standing tall and calm. However, this did not by any way mean that he was relaxed. He just _seemed _relaxed.

"LET'S GET WILD!"

Naruto phased out of vision before suddenly appearing in front of Kirito with his sword shining, a dust trail exploding behind him to show how quickly Naruto moved.

_Fast!_

Kirito raised his blade just in time to block the downward strike, parrying it and pushing Naruto away. When Naruto's sword was successfully parried, Kirito immediately went on the offensive and leaped forwards with his sword glowing red.

"**Horizontal**!"

Naruto quickly brought his sword in a vertical position, blocking Kirito's strike. However, a block against a **Sword Skill** left him overpowered, so Naruto was left open to attack in the air. Kirito jumped forwards again with his sword, slashing and thrusting in a skilled chain of attacks. However, Naruto quickly regained control of the spar, defending and dodging each of Kirito's strikes deftly, easily redirecting the blade.

"Come on, Kirito. You can do better than this, right?" Naruto taunted. Kirito jumped back and smirked.

"Of course I can. Besides, you're holding back, too, aren't you?" Naruto just smirked in response to Kirito's evaluation of the fight. Kirito smirked as well as he pulled out a second sword from his inventory. Naruto responded in kind, bringing out a dagger with a hilt to potentially stop Kirito's strikes at the hilt.

Once again, the two boys bent into their stance, leaning forwards to prepare for the burst of movement. Then, both of them vanished before reappearing at the middle of the training grounds, their swords in a deadlock. Kirito pushed back and swung his other sword in a slant, but Naruto stopped the deadly strike with his dagger's hilt. In a show of extreme skill, Naruto shifted his grip and twirled his dagger in such a way to cause Kirito's sword to become stuck. Using this to his advantage, Naruto landed a heavy kick to Kirito's side, sending the black haired swordsman flying back into a tree.

"Kami…I hate trees so much." However, he received no respite.

"**Dynamic Entry**!" Kirito whipped his head up just in time to see Naruto's foot coming closer to his head. He ducked barely in time to dodge the flying kick. However, the result of the kick surprised and scared him slightly. The tree that Naruto had crashed through was destroyed on the base. The top began to fall with nothing to support it on the bottom. Then, the large tree crashed to the earth and shattered into polygons, with only a stump to show where Naruto's kick landed.

"Holy shit…what the hell?" A cold sweat went down Kirito's neck as he stared at the fallen tree. Footsteps were heard crunching on the fallen leaves on the floor, crisp from the fall and winter.

"Seems like I missed, huh? Well…" Naruto's face came into view, a feral smirk on his face. His sword was balanced on his shoulders, his dagger gone. "…I won't miss again."

Kirito raised both of his swords in a defensive position, waiting for Naruto's charge.

"Are you trying to kill me, Naruto?"

Naruto just kept walking forwards until he was directly a few feet away from Kirito, his body in a relaxed position with his sword at his side. He tilted his head to the side in slight confusion.

"What are you talking about? This is a safe zone, so I can't actually do damage to you. However, you may feel slightly pain from the impact, but I can't slice or stab you." Kirito deadpanned.

"So that mean I'll STILL feel the damned kick of yours! You brought down a tree! A TREE!" Naruto just ignored Kirito, cleaning his ear with his pinky as Kirito went on his rant. He looked up at the sky, watching the clouds lazily drift through the endless expanse of blue, the color reflecting off of his cerulean eyes. Then, he dropped his gaze from the sky and back to the frustrated Kirito.

"I'm sorry…did you say something?" This irked Kirito to no end. Naruto _always_ did this.

"Damn it, Naruto! Listen to me when I talk!" Naruto just tilted his head to the side again, and then turned around started walking away, indicating the end of the fight. Kurama was still sleeping soundly on Naruto's head. Somehow, it had not awoken during the fight, still snoring and 'yipping' at random intervals due to its dream.

"Don't feel like it. I'm going to meditate." Kirito just stood there, watching Naruto's back get smaller as he disappeared into the trees on the path to the river.

"Wait, that's it?" Naruto's voice was quieter from the distance, but still slightly audible to Kirito.

"Yup. I said a spar, not an all-out fight." Then, silence was all that remained.

"Damn…stupid blonde. Whatever." Kirito turned his head slightly to the left, looking at the indentation on the tree's stump. There was a foot mark, indicating the location of the devastating attack.

"And what the hell is with his kick?"

**XShuyaX**

(Time Skip: 8 Hours)

"Checkmate."

"…again."

***click clack click clack***

"Checkmate."

"…again." Kirito snarled out. He stared at the chess board. He couldn't believe that he still had not beaten Naruto in a single game of chess since the day before. Thirty games he had lost in a row…thirty of them!

"Whatever. Set up the pieces."

***click clack click clack***

"Checkmate."

"…DAMN IT!" Kirito flipped the chess board in frustration, throwing the pieces and board flying into the air. Before they all crashed into the ground, they all flashed and disappeared into Naruto's inventory, safe from Kirito's mad fit of anger.

"Kirito, aren't you taking it a little too seriously?" However, Kirito was not listening. He was staring at the floor with a demented look in his eyes, mumbling something as he drew a circle on the dirt, a dark cloud hovering over his head.

"Um…are you OK?"

Instead of responding, Kirito began to laugh silently. It grew louder in volume until he was full out cackling, the sound reverberating throughout the mountaintop and echoing on other mountains.

"HAHAHAHA!"

Naruto just sweatdropped as he stared at Kirito's bent form on the floor, his friend shivering as he cackled madly.

"Did I break him? Hm…not my problem. I'm going to meditate."

Naruto sighed and began to walk away, leaving Kirito on the floor to his own devises of madness. The teen was twitching and laughing maniacally, rolling on the floor and screaming obscenities at chess. The blonde just continued to walk away calmly, taking the path to the river and then spent the next three hours meditating.

Kirito would never admit to losing his cool that day during his whole stay in the game, or even after. Naruto wouldn't say anything either, content to keep that somewhat disturbing event to himself. Both boys agreed to pretend it had never happened.

**XShuyax**

(Time Skip: Next Morning, 10 A.M.)

"Silica-chan, Asuna-chan! I missed you two so much!" Naruto ran up to the two girls and was about to give them a tackle hug before -

"What are you doing?! Baka!" The two girls both punched Naruto square in the face, sending him flying back. Said blonde slid on the cement on his back, somehow making screeching sounds as he slid. Kirito just sighed and walked up to the two girls, calmly stepping over Naruto's body. Both of them were glaring at Naruto's prone figure, although Silica was blushing slightly.

"How have you two been?" Kirito casually asked. Asuna turned her attention from the steaming figure of Naruto to the calm face of Kirito. Her demeanor immediately changed from irritation to happiness. Before she could say anything back, however, Silica began to freak out as she ran to Naruto.

"Kami…what have I done? Are you OK, Naruto? Did we kill him? What do we do?" Silica bent on her knees and began to poke at Naruto's body and face, trying to get a reaction out of him. Asuna and Kirito sweatdropped at the scene along with many other players that were just passing by on the street.

Kirito walked over to Silica and placed his hand on her shoulder to get her attention. Silica looked up at him, her eyes showing concern and worry.

"Silica…he isn't dead." Immediately, her eyes became bright and lost all of their worry. She turned her head to Naruto, staring his figure lying on the floor, completely knocked out. However, instead of waking him up, she began to kick him in the side, yelling at him for making her worry.

Kirito walked slowly backwards until he was side to side with Asuna, slightly freaked out about the situation.

"Um…does she always act like this?" Asuna was just as confused as Kirito on Silica's actions and personality change. She had never seen her act like this before. However, a small idea planted itself into her head.

"No…but I think that…she's just a tsundere." Kirito gulped, staring at Naruto's shifting body as he was continuously kicked by Silica, whose eyes were closed and her arms stiff at her side.

"This is just…strange." Asuna nodded her head in agreement.

Suddenly, Naruto bolted up just as Silica was about to kick him again on the side. Because of this, Silica kicked into nothing but air, causing her to lose her footing and fall forwards.

"Hey guys, who was ki – ACK!" Silica fell on top of Naruto, her body flush against his.

"Itai…what was that?" Naruto rubbed the back of his head to try to ease the pain. Then, he opened his eyes to see what or who fell on him. Seeing Silica's face so close to his, her body in such close proximity, he immediately began to…push her off his body and sit up on the floor.

"What are you doing? Why are you on top of me?" Silica looked away. She immediately began to blush, her face becoming a deep shade of red, completely imitating the color of her eyes.

"B-baka, I was trying to wake you up! You just fell asleep on the floor." Naruto deadpanned, staring at Silica's turned head as she continued to sit on his legs. They both were still on the ground of the street, completely ignoring the fact that they were now the center of attention of a growing crowd.

"Uh-huh. And who made me 'fall asleep'?" Silica turned her head away in embarrassment, her face becoming even hotter.

The circle of people around the two teens on the floor, for some reason, had had enough. The guys were irritated that some blonde punk was with a girl on the floor, especially such a pretty girl. Who did that punk think he was, criticizing and blaming such a pretty girl instead of making her feel loved? Idiot, they would show him!

"Hey, who do you think you are, blaming such a pretty girl?" Then, more voices began to yell at Naruto at his apparently unseemly attitude towards Silica. Naruto ignored them all and stared at Silica as she trembled slightly. Naruto's eyes gleamed threateningly for a moment before he wrapped his arms protectively around Silica's shoulder and waist; the action surprised the girl and made her blush even more, although it angered the teen boys glaring at Naruto. Naruto's eyes locked on each person, daring them to say anything. Each of the guys began to sweat slightly from the glare Naruto gave them, but they held their ground.

"She is my precious person, and no one touches my precious people. She, Asuna, and Kirito are all my precious people." Naruto growled out threateningly. Silica raised her head to look up at Naruto, surprised by his bold statement. She couldn't find a trace of a lie in his voice, and his face showed the upmost seriousness. Her face continued to get redder, slightly steaming now.

"In fact…Kirito and Asuna, why don't you join us down here for the hug?" Silica dropped her head and lost her blush immediately. Of course he had to do something so stupid after saying something cool, right? Then again, Naruto wouldn't be Naruto if he didn't do that. She smiled contently, leaning into Naruto's embrace slightly, her head on his chest.

Kirito just sighed as he pinched his nose. Asuna, however, stomped over to Naruto and gripped his shoulder and forcefully pulled him off the street floor, causing Silica to fall.

"What do you think you were doing with Silica-chan in front of everyone here? Do you want them to get any ideas?" Naruto just tilted his head in confusion, his bangs swaying from the motion. He grabbed Silica on the arm before she fell on the floor without looking, still staring at Asuna.

"Huh? What would they assume?" Before Asuna could retort or comment about Naruto's stupidity, the guys in the crowd yelled out again.

"Wait, this idiot has _two_ hot girls with him?"

"Yeah! What the hell, man? We should show him his place. Screw his 'precious people'!"

The men and teens in the crowd yelled in agreement, wanting to show that they were superior to Naruto. Silica began to shiver as she looked at the leers many of the men were giving her. Asuna scoffed and closed her eyes in disgust. Naruto, however, began to release his killing intent as he stared down every person again.

"Are you…asking for a fight?"

That got Kirito's attention immediately. If they agreed to a fight against Naruto…then he wished them all luck. Although Naruto was only marginally better than Kirito in **Sword Skills** and technique…somehow…that was still quite a feat for the blonde. However, Kirito didn't know about the fact Naruto had been trained from a young age to wield a blade, either one handed or dual wielded. Not only that, but his blonde friend was extremely well versed in multiple forms of martial arts.

"Hell yes we're picking for a fight! Thank you for asking. Come here you punk!"

Kirito sweatdropped.

_What the hell? All over Naruto talking with two girls? I mean…I guess Asuna is beautiful…and Silica is kind of cute…but seriously, isn't this a little too much? Well…didn't Naruto say the same exact thing for me with chess? I guess we all have our little things that make us tick._

"Hey, he's a friend of that **Beater**! We have to teach him a lesson." One of the teens in the crowd pointed a finger at Kirito. All their heads turned immediately and zoned in on the black swordsman, each giving him a look of disgust and distrust.

"…You can say things about me…but the moment you said something about my friends…" Naruto's bangs shadowed his eyes as he stared at the floor, gripping his fist until the blood circulation stopped flowing, making it turn white. Naruto raised his head, and each of the men in the crowd took a step back. The blonde's eyes had lost all emotion, his eyes becoming a deep sea of nothingness. There was nothing there. No irritation, no mirth, nothing. However, one of the idiots in the crowd had to say something again to rile them all up.

"I challenge you to a **Duel**!"

Naruto turned his body to face the challenger. It was another teenager, maybe seventeen or eighteen years old. He was glaring at Naruto, but constantly shifting his sights to the two girls next to him, giving Asuna and Silica leers and looks of lust.

Kirito sighed and dropped his hands to his sides.

_Your funeral._

"…Fine. But…all of you come at me at once."

That got a surprised reaction from the crowd. A fourteen year old blonde stating out loud that he could beat every all forty seven of them at once with no rules was ridiculous! But here he was, challenging every single man and teenage boy.

"He's bluffing. He can't handle all of us."

"Such a cocky little bastard. Let's take him down a peg."

Silica grabbed Naruto's sleeve, her eyes full of worry and concern. She didn't want this to happen. Guilt began to rise in her chest. It was all her fault. If she had reigned in her temper and had not kicked him on the floor, then none of this would have happened.

Naruto turned and gave her a generous smile. Then, he patted her head softly, making the small girl 'eep' at the action.

"It's OK. It's not your fault…"

Silica raised her head to look at Naruto. However, he was already turning to face the crowd once more as he swiped his hand downwards through the air, his holographic menu coming into view.

_How did he know?_

"…but as for the rest of you…I'll crush you all."

***Naruto has challenged forty-seven players to a Duel. Do you Confirm/Decline?***

Every single player agreed immediately with no hesitation. Why shouldn't they? They could possibly get a hot girl, which were so low in numbers in this game. The bonus was taking the blonde punk down a few pegs and throwing him unceremoniously off his high horse. Seriously, actually challenging forty-seven players at once?

"Let's go to the town plaza. That way…I can shame you all one by one in public."

Before any of the irritated players could respond, Naruto had already turned on his heel and began to walk away. They all grumbled and followed suit. As they walked, more and more people joined until it became almost a thousand people. They, too, became interested from the details that they had heard.

When they had reached the middle of the plaza, Naruto turned around and faced each and every one of his challengers. Ignoring all the murmurs and small talks from the crowd, he began to set his stipulations.

"This is just like a regular **Duel**: it is one on one. However, I have to fight forty-seven **Duels** in a row. If a single one of you bests me in combat…then I lose. However…" Naruto increased his glare. "…if I win…I will enjoy crushing all of you and shaming you in public, and will not apologize for any of the actions I will do during any of the **Duels**. Is that clear?"

The forty-seven men nodded their heads, eager to fight. What kind of tricks could this little runt possibly pull?

Asuna and Silica stood next to Kirito, waiting in anxiety for the **Duels **to begin. Silica tapped Kirito in the elbow and looked up at him to meet his eyes.

"Will Naruto be OK?" Kirito broke his calm façade for a moment to smile slightly as he nodded.

"You know how strong he is, don't you? Besides…" Kirito turned his head to the blonde standing only a few yards away from him, back straight and head held high. "…I think I understand what he said before to me. None of these people looked _underneath the underneath_. They all assumed Naruto was just an average player: young, average-leveled, and unskilled with a weapon."

Asuna turned her gaze from Naruto to Kirito.

"But can he really beat forty seven players in a row?" Kirito didn't turn to his head or say anything to Asuna's question. Instead, his smile widened somewhat as he looked at his blonde friend as he pulled out his weapon and bent low into his stance.

"Let's just wait and watch, shall we? Patience is key, isn't it?" Asuna just scoffed, but she redirected her attention to Naruto.

'_But seriously…how did it get to this, Naruto_._'_ Kirito thought, dropping his smile and returning to his normal facial expression.

The clock began to count down, starting from ten due to the number of players that were in line. Naruto's opponent held a two handed greatsword in his hands, gripping it tightly. However, Naruto immediately found holes in the stance and grip of his opponent. The grip was too tight. The stance was rigid and stiff. The shoulders were not relaxed, and the feet were too wide apart for a greatsword.

When the clock reached zero, an alarm sounded to indicate the start of the match. The opponent roared out as he charged at Naruto with his greatsword held high above his head. Naruto stayed still, not moving from his position at all. He stood calmly; his **Baroque Blade** lowered at his side, his body completed relaxed.

Silica was about to scream at Naruto to move, but Kirito placed his hand her shoulder and smiled at her as he shook his head. She looked at him, and then turned back to Naruto.

_Please be safe_.

When the sword was about to hit him and land a devastating blow to his head, Naruto's body blurred until it disappeared, leaving only an afterimage. The swipe completely missed, swinging through empty air, making the assailant overextend and slightly trip due to the power and weight he put behind the **Sword Skill**.

Suddenly, Naruto appeared behind the opponent and jumped aggressively towards the player. As he flew towards him, closing the distance quickly, he raised his leg and yelled out –

"**Dynamic Entry**!" Naruto dropkicked the player in the back, sending his opponent flying out of the makeshift ring and crashing into a building. The building shook, showing the strength and power behind the flying kick.

Naruto raised his body until it was straight again, his back to the players.

"One down…" He turned his head slightly, so only one malicious eye was visible to the remaining forty-six challengers.

"…Forty-six helpless sheep to go." Every one of the duelists took a step back, slightly frightened by the feral look Naruto was giving them. However, they started the challenge, and they had to finish it. Besides, they still had the advantage in numbers, right?

Wrong. It was over in an hour. Every one of the challengers were somewhere outside of the makeshift ring, lying on the floor next to various building. Throughout every single duel, Naruto had only used one ability: **Dynamic Entry**. Using pure speed to dodge the first strike and leave his opponent vulnerable, he dropkicked them in the back, sending them into different buildings. Naruto turned around and began to walk, going straight to his friends. The crowd stayed silent, shocked by what they had seen. However, the event would quickly spread through the floors. Players would know about what had happened on the **Tenth Floor**, although slightly exaggerated, but still accurate to a degree.

When Naruto came close enough to his group, he saw Asuna and Kirito smiling at him. However, Silica was still giving him a worried look. She ran up to him and stared up at his eyes with a worried expression clear on her face.

"Are you OK?"

Instead of responding, Naruto moved his face closer to hers. He seemed to be scrutinizing her, although no one knew why. Suddenly, he pinched both of her cheeks and began to pull on them, forcing Silica to make some strange and comical expressions.

"Shap iiit, Autooo…wut aar yuu ooing?" Naruto began to smile. Then, he began to laugh as he continued to play with Silica's cheeks.

"Haha, you're so cute, Silica-chan. You're like a cuddly bear!" He dropped her cheeks and gave her a hug, wrapping his arms around her small frame, squeezing her in his embrace as he rubbed his cheek against hers. Kirito, Asuna, and the crowd of approximately one thousand players all sweatdropped with the same thought in mind.

_What the hell?_

Kirito and Asuna just stared blankly at the duo, Kirito's hands by his side.

'_Only you, Naruto. One moment, you're dead serious, and the next, you're just plain stupid. Kami…why do you even say that 'knowledge is better' in the first place if you're this dense?' _Kirito thought. It was one of the world's greatest mysteries…that would never be figured out.

Naruto continued to rub his cheek against Silica's, making the girl blush a tomato red, steam coming out of her ears and the top of her head. Asuna deadpanned.

'_Is that even possible?'_ She thought. She ignored it, assuming that it was the game that was either playing tricks on her mind or making Silica to actually release steam due to her blush.

"Aww…you're definitely the cutest twelve year old I know, so worried for me!" Suddenly, Silica somehow got out of Naruto's hug, panting from lack of oxygen. She was bent over with her hands on her knees, catching her breath. When she had gotten enough to speak, she raised her head and pointed a finger at Naruto.

"I'm…haa…haa…thirteen, Naruto." Naruto tilted his head in confusion, not understanding her statement. Suddenly, he closed the distance between him and her within the blink of an eye, standing directly in front of her with his face a few inches from hers.

"When was your birthday?" Silica freaked out slightly, pulling her upper body back.

"A-ano…two days ago?" Naruto turned to Kirito and Asuna, grinning.

"Did you hear that, you two? We're going to celebrate her birthday!" Then, he turned his head, somehow making his neck creak as his face became shadowed when he stared at Silica. "And why didn't you tell me about your birthday?"

Silica began to play with her fingers, nervous. "Um…you said that you were busy with Kirito."

Naruto frowned, the shadows becoming deeper. Suddenly, they all disappeared as he smiled and patted her head.

"That's no excuse, Silica-chan. I would've dropped him any time! Hanging out with you is way better than hanging out with that completely unsocial sloth." Kirito clenched his fists. Asuna just giggled to herself, her hand over her mouth, eyes full of mirth.

Silica couldn't help it. She laughed and giggled uncontrollably. The rest of the crowd just stared at the foursome.

_Some weird kids._

Naruto grabbed onto Silica's hand as he pulled her excitedly through the streets of the town, Asuna and Kirito quickly following. They went to a classy restaurant, a small Arcade, and then a karaoke bar. Naruto sang, much to the girls' delight and Kirito's annoyance. He dryly admitted to himself that Naruto sang well. When it was his turn, however, he tried to run away, only to be stopped by Naruto. Forced into singing, he managed to go through a song without crying to himself.

The three of his friends deadpanned after Kirito finished, just staring at him in disbelief. Then, Silica spoke –

"He really is like a rock. No emotion at all when he sings." Asuna nodded her head in agreement.

"It's unbelievable. Kirito…how do you do that?" Naruto, however, jumped over to Kirito with a microphone and chose a song randomly, throwing his arm over Kirito's shoulder.

"Come on, Kirito! We're going to sing another song! Put some feeling into it!" Then, Kirito began to cry mentally as he was once again forced to sing. However, instead of finishing after the song, Naruto forced him to sing again and again deep into the night.

_Nooooooo!_

The girls laughed uncontrollably at the difference between the ways the two boys sang. To Silica, it was the best birthday celebration of her life, even if it had passed two days before.

_Arigatou, Naruto…_

The two girls joined the boys sometime during the night, shaking tambourines to the beat of each song, laughing and dancing. Eventually, the two girls got tired and took a break, sitting down. Somehow, the two boys were still singing. Silica smiled contently as she stared at Naruto and Kirito singing together. Naruto was smiling and singing wildly with exuberance, mirth in his eyes. Kirito was still awkwardly holding his microphone, but he had somewhat gotten into the groove of the song, tapping his foot to the beat, his voice strong and tender, almost singing as well as Naruto now.

…_for the best birthday in my life._

**XShuyaX**

(Time Skip: Midnight)

"Naruto, didn't you want to hide your skills?" Said blonde was leaning against a wall in an alleyway, arms crossed over his chest. He waved his hand nonchalantly.

"I didn't really show them anything. I only showed them what they already knew. Speed and that kick is what I was already known for. So…they didn't really get a true evaluation of my skills, unlike someone else." Kirito smiled, happy to know that Naruto trusted him enough to go all out in a fight against him.

"That's good…I guess. You weren't even going as fast as you could either, were you?" Naruto shook his head, proving Kirito's assessment during the **Duels**.

"No, I wasn't. But then again…neither was everyone else." Kirito nodded his head. It was true. Although not many people knew it, players could redirect their **Mana** to strengthen their body and speed up their movements. However, not only was that small detail a virtually unknown fact, but players that knew it preferred to save their **Mana** for their **Sword Skills**.

"That is true. Just make sure that you don't get to much attention." Naruto turned his head to the side and scoffed.

"I already got a bounty on my head because of Silica-chan and Asuna." Naruto joked. Kirito chuckled lightly.

"Hmm…but you know what I mean." Naruto sighed, dropping his head as he stared at the floor.

"Yeah…I know."

**XShuyaX**

(Time Skip: February 14th, 2026)

Naruto was walking through the streets of the **Eleventh Floor**, bored and listless. Again, there was no food of the gods on this cursed floor. Four days had already passed since the floor had opened, and Naruto had spent every one of them grinding in the new **Dungeon**, which only opened after the first ten floors were cleared. The **Dungeon** was filled with hundreds of **Illfang the Kobold Lord**'s, but Naruto cruised through them all, slashing only four times for each one. However, the spawn rate was ridiculous, so Naruto leveled up a few times due to his extremely high clearing speed, despite the fact that the relative **EXP** gain was slowing him down tremendously.

_But seriously, the boss was a joke._

The tenth floor boss was not strong or even fast. It was just…stupid to say the least. Literally. Why Kayaba Akihiko sent a sloth to fight the clearers, Naruto will never know. It was the most giant, lazy sloth he had ever seen. The whole time the players attacked it, it kept on sleeping until it was destroyed and disappeared in a mass of blue polygons.

_Like Snorlax_.

Naruto checked his surroundings by turning his head from side to side, shifting his view from one shop to the other. Everywhere sold chocolate. Chocolates, chocolate cake, chocolate milk, choco lattes, chocolate pastries, everything! Except…for chocolate ramen. And there was no ramen! Naruto heaved a sigh at a depressing thought and buried his head further into his collared jacket, hiding his mouth from view.

Kirito, Asuna, and Silica were somewhere on the floor, although Naruto didn't know exactly where. All he knew was that they would meet up at the town plaza at noon and then hang out the rest of the day. Kirito was the only person that Naruto had an inkling of an idea of what he was doing. But the two girls…he had absolutely no clue.

Naruto kept pacing through the stone streets, passing by all of the medieval shops and bars. There was one thing nice about this town: there was a river that a person could drink from. Although not as nice and refreshing as the river on the mountaintop on the **Second Floor**, it was satisfactory and fresh.

_I wonder what they're going to get me. I know what to get for Asuna. Chocolate pastries, of course. Silica, I should probably get a chocolate smoothie…but what about Kirito? Hmm…_

Naruto rubbed his chin in thought through the collar of his jacket, somehow making his way through the crowd with his eyes closed. Suddenly, he opened his eyes, an idea clicking in his mind. It was perfect! Naruto looked around for a shop…but quickly got irritated by the amount of couples walking around, blatantly showing their affection.

_Seriously…they're like eighteen and they're doing this in public? And get a room, you two. Those two also. Oh, and those two. Heck, why can't they all just get a room and disappear for Valentine's Day!_

Naruto sighed again, closing his eyes and pushing his head further into his collared black jacket, now hiding his nose from view. For the next few hours, he walked around town, looking for the gifts that he would eventually give to his friends.

**XShuyaX**

(Time Skip: 3 Hours)

"OK, so who goes first?" Asuna asked excitedly. The rest of the group sweatdropped. It was clear who wanted their gifts first. As one, they all sighed except for Asuna, each person pulling out a bag with chocolate pastries as one.

"Here," they said in unison. Asuna's hand blurred, grabbing each one of them in the blink of an eye. When she looked into each bag, her eyes gleamed. She grabbed one of the chocolate pastries and moaned in bliss, content with the heavenly flavor of the delicious dessert.

"Right…how about you next, Silica-chan?" Naruto said. She nodded her head, her eyes full of expectation. Kirito gave her a small chocolate box with multiple shapes. Silica gave Kirito a quick hug in thanks. Asuna, still eating her pastries, gave her a large chocolate; it was at least the size of the average pillow, telling Silica is was OK to 'eat fat for a day'. Silica closed her eyes in happiness and gave the older girl she considered a sister a back crushing hug, although the chestnut haired player continued to eat her pastries calmly. Naruto and Kirito sweatdropped.

After the other two had given their Valentine's Day gift to Silica, Silica turned to Naruto, staring up at him with…the damned puppy dog eyes. Naruto took a step back, confused as to why she was staring at him with those expectant eyes. He swiped his hand downwards and went into his **Inventory** and pulled out –

"A SMOOTHIE!" Silica chirped happily, immediately taking it from Naruto's hands and sipping on it gleefully. Indeed, he had gotten a chocolate smoothie for the youngest clearer, remembering the fact she enjoyed smoothies almost as much as he enjoyed ramen on their first quest together.

***Slurpppp***

Naruto eyed the chocolate smoothie in Silica's hand and noticed that it was already empty. Kirito and Asuna deadpanned with him, staring at it. Silica just smiled, completely unfazed by the looks they were giving her.

"What? Is something on my face?" The three just shook their heads, Asuna now with a different chocolate cake in her mouth. Naruto opened his inventory and turned to Kirito.

"Hmm…anyways, here you go, Kirito. I thought this would match you perfectly!" Naruto handed his friend a small box. The two girls eyed it suspiciously, wondering what was inside. Why would Naruto give Kirito, another guy, a gift on Valentine's Day? Did he play for the other side? Kirito wondered this also as he took the gift, voicing out his thoughts.

"Naruto…are you-"

"No no no no!" Heads had never shook so fast…except for that one traveling duck thing in Rave Master. He already knew what Kirito was about to ask. "Just take it and open it! You'll see what I mean," he continued. Kirito sighed and took off the lid, only to find…

"Really, Naruto? A rock?" The two girls looked into the box and saw what Kirito was glaring at. It was a square rock, shaped into a cube with a foot in each dimension. Naruto nodded his head triumphantly.

"It's a chocolate rock! I just customized it as a rock because I thought it matches you!" Kirito sighed as he moved Naruto's gift into his **Inventory**. Then, Kirito pulled out a large bag from his **Inventory**, handing it over to Naruto.

"Whatever. Take it," Kirito said, closing his eyes and looking away as he handed Naruto his gift. Naruto's nose picked up a certain scent…and then it twitched. His mouth began to water and his eyes gleamed as his hand was suddenly holding Kirito's gift.

'_I didn't even see his hand move!' _Kirito thought.

Naruto delicately opened the gift and took off the wrappers to find…ten hot, steaming bowl of beef and miso ramen.

"Finally! RAMMENN! THE FOOD OF THE GODS! ITADAKIMASU!" Naruto took a bowl out and split his chopsticks and began to eat in the middle of the plaza, still standing up. The three stared at him, but knew better than to talk or question his eating habits. After all, they knew how he would respond.

Kirito turned to the two girls.

"Did you get any gifts on the way here?" Silica and Asuna both nodded their heads.

_Did any guys give you gifts when you walked over to the plaza?_

Asuna triumphantly opened her menu to Kirito and showed him the amount of gifts she received.

"Look! 89 Chocolate pastries! It's the best, isn't it?" Asuna's eyes gleamed maliciously, as if daring him to say otherwise. A cold sweat went down his neck as he nodded his head hesitantly. The gleam immediately disappeared as Asuna turned to Silica.

"So, Silica-chan? How many did you receive?" Silica opened her menu and poked her fingers together.

"A-ano…264 gifts? But they were all chocolates, not smoothies," she said, quickly saying the last part as if it would appease Asuna. Asuna's jaw dropped along with Kirito's. Naruto just happily ate through his fourth bowl of ramen, slurping it in content. Asuna grabbed Silica's shoulders and shook her, causing the girl's head to bob back and forth.

"How did you get so many? I'm so jealous!" Silica's eyes began to swirl, her consciousness slipping. Kirito grabbed onto Asuna's arms to stop her and pulled her away from the young girl.

"Asuna, you shouldn't torture her," he said bluntly. Asuna puffed out her cheeks, turning her head away from Kirito, eyes on the ground.

"I wasn't torturing her. Just interrogating her." Naruto decided that this was the moment to rejoin the conversation after somehow already finishing all ten bowls of ramen. He patted his stomach in bliss, and then looked over to Asuna.

"Ahh…that was good! Thanks, Kirito. Asuna, don't you know about the "I & T Department"? Or was it the "T & I Department"? I don't care. Either way, it stands for Interrogation and Torture Department. So basically…"

"No! I wasn't torturing her!" Naruto just smiled cheekily as he grabbed onto Silica's cheeks and stretched them out.

"Waaaahhh….saaapp iiiit." Silica slurred out, still slightly dizzy and regaining her focus.

"Wow, Silica-chan. You have really soft cheeks!" _I don't know if it's baby fat…but I'm not going to say anything like that. Not after what Baa-chan did to me after I mentioned something about fat._ Naruto shivered for a moment, recalling a past incident.

Somehow, what Naruto said was what Silica needed for her to immediately regain her focus. She blushed from Naruto's words, her cheeks still stretched out from being pulled.

"Naaauuto, saaapp iiit," she whined. Naruto's smile widened, making him close his eyes. He began to rub his cheek against hers just like a few days before after the duel marathon, laughing and smiling. However, loud yelling and screaming became audible to the four teens, and they all turned their heads, Naruto and Silica turning in unison due to their cheeks being stuck together.

Hundreds of men and teen guys were running down a street, a huge dust trail behind them. Every one of their eyes flashed as they zoned on in Silica, increasing their sprint and raising their arms. Silica flinched in recognition, already knowing what they were.

"THERE'S OUR BAR MAID/ANGEL/WOMAN! PLEASE SILICA-CHAN! ACCEPT OUR GIFTS!"

Kirito and Naruto began to freak out, surprised at the mob of running men asking for Silica to accept their gifts. Silica began to cry mentally, getting out of Naruto's grip and hiding behind his back. Asuna however, began to seethe as she took a few steps forwards.

"I'm not…pretty enough to recognize, huh? Well I'll show them – ah?" Kirito grabbed her arm and pulled her back. She turned her head to say something, but Kirito glared at her before returning to his freaked out expression.

"Are you crazy? They'll run you over! Naruto, Silica, let's get out of here!" Naruto nodded his head before throwing Silica over his shoulder and sprinting in the opposite direction of the crowd, screaming at the top of his lungs.

"GUYS, ASUNA IS THERE, TOO! LET'S GIVE HER OUR _GIFTS_! For some reason, the way the men said gifts made her flinch and almost retch in slight disgust. Kirito grabbed her arm and pulled her to the left, running down a different street and dragged her along as fast as he could.

"SILICA-CHAN/ASUNA-CHAN! WAIT FOR US!" The cursed fanboys, the worst thing in the existence of the universe, were heard throughout the town, their desperate cries cracking windows and glass from the pitch of their screams. Kirito and Asuna continued to run and hide throughout the evening until they ran out to the field and hid inside the new **Dungeon**, going deep inside to hide from any searching players.

Naruto and Silica both vanished when Naruto used his speed to disappear from the middle of a street. However, all Naruto did was hide behind a few crates in a nearby alley, only a few feet away from the street he had disappeared from. The rest of the evening, they stayed hidden behind the crates, Naruto sitting down, his back against the wall with Silica on his legs, her back leaning against his chest. One arm was wrapped around her waist and his other arm by his side, prepared to push him up. If the worst case scenario occurred, he would be dash out of the alley at a moment's notice.

For the next few hours during the mad search for the two girls with the two guys, Naruto and Kirito messaged each other on the safety.

"_Ironic how we're worried about safety, isn't it Naruto?"_

"_Nope. Fanboys…or Fucking Assholes of Nature that Beg Over Your Sex are basically the worst thing in existence! THERE'S NO COMPETITION!"_

"…_did you make that up right now?"_

"_Yup. Why?"_

"_I can tell…that was really stupid…"_

"…_I'm done talking with you. Stay in that damned cave for the rest of the week for all I care."_

_*****_**Naruto has left the conversation***

"_WAIT! NARUTO!"_

Asuna smacked Kirito's head in irritation.

"Baka! I can message Silica-chan." Kirito rubbed the back of his head as he nodded, realizing the logic behind her words. Asuna set up a conversation and sent a message, although she did not receive a response. Silica had already fallen asleep against Naruto, the blonde beginning to fall asleep against the crates and the wall.

"_Silica-chan, answer me!"_

No response.

"_Silica-chan! I will give you a chocolate smoothie later on if you respond!"_

No response. Instead, Silica began to dream of Naruto handing her hundreds of chocolate smoothies.

"_Please…don't leave me like this."_

Kirito and Asuna sighed in defeat. They were deep inside the **Dungeon**. It would take at least an hour of constant fighting to get out of the cave.

"Let's just…go to sleep, I guess. It's already nighttime." Asuna looked at Kirito in confusion, not understanding how Kirito knew that small detail.

"Um…how do you know what time it is?"

"It's in your menu. It should tell the time."

_Not only Naruto, but Asuna doesn't know things about the menu either? What's with my group?_

"Oh…oh wow, it is late. Well…I'm going to sleep, I guess." Although it was dark, Kirito suddenly got the feeling someone was staring at him warily and maliciously. "And don't do anything while I sleep…or _I'll kill you tomorrow._"

Kirito nodded quickly, but he was pretty sure that Asuna didn't see the movement.

"Ahh…OK. Just…go to sleep, I'll hold down the fort, I guess?" Some movements were heard. Kirito assumed that it was Asuna shifting her body to go to sleep. He didn't really need to stay awake since they were in the safe zone of the **Dungeon**, but it was more of a precaution for any crazy players that had chased them this far into the **Dungeon**.

Kirito yawned, widening his mouth and closing his eyes. He blinked a few times before he stretched out his body to get comfortable. He moved his sword from his side to his **Inventory **and stared at the darkness for a few more minutes. Then, he yawned again.

"Maybe…I should get some sleep, too, huh? Yeah…I'll do – *snore*"

Kirito had already fallen asleep, leaning against the small rock behind his back, snoring lightly.

**XShuyaX**

(Time Skip: Next Morning, Feburary 15th, 2026)

Naruto yawned as he stretched his body, cracking his back.

"Ahhh…man I'm sore. What did I sleep on? A wall?" He quickly checked his surroundings and sweatdropped.

_I really did sleep against a wall. Huh? I can't move my body or legs?_

Naruto looked down. When he saw what was preventing him from moving, a small dust of pink covered his face. Silica was still sleeping against him, making herself comfortable by leaning against his chest, the top of her head right below his chin. Her body was right on top of his legs, so he couldn't get up.

_I could make a Kage Bunshin and switch with it…but…meh. I'll just sleep a little longer._

Naruto kept his arms wrapped around Silica protectively and closed one eye, the other one open on the lookout for any people that could possibly search the alleyway. A small feeling of content spread through his body. Another feeling, something warm and passionate, began to fill his chest. It warmed his chest and his heart rate increased, his face began to flush, and his arms began to sweat. Shaking his head, Naruto ignored the feeling and continued his lookout.

Although, it was strange to him that no one found them. Were they really that stupid to not check the alleyway?

_These people…I bet they never watched movies and anime. How could they NOT check the alleyways?_

Naruto yawned again, but now he was wide awake. He began to think about the day before, the crazy chase throughout town from the cursed fanboys.

_Curse them all. They're even worse than fangirls! And…their awful voices…oh the voices…why Kami!_

But continuing in his recollections throughout the past day, Naruto began to smile in content, leaning his head back against the wall, thumping it softly against the solid surface.

_But I guess…this year's Valentine's Day wasn't that bad. I wonder about you though, Kirito and Asuna._

**XShuyaX**

(Location: Dungeon Safe Zone)

"I hate Naruto and Silica."

"…"

"No, maybe just Silica. All those boys were chasing after her."

"…"

"Kirito, can you say something? It's dark in here and I don't really feel like moving, so talk and keep me company."

"…I want to sleep, so be quiet."

***Crash***

Kirito slammed into the **Dungeon** wall harshly, his back creaking from the stress. He let out a wheeze when he landed on the floor.

"A-Asuna…what the hell?" He looked up and saw two glowing red eyes staring straight at him. "What are you doing?"

"Did you tell…a woman to shut up?"

**XShuyaX**

(Location: Alleyway)

_Yup, I'm sure their Valentine's Day went perfectly…not._

Taking a deep breath, Naruto shifted his body to make himself comfortable. Silica unconsciously moved with him, warming up to his embrace.

"Muu…"

When Silica woke up about a half hour later, she felt someone stretching out her face. She opened her eyes only to find Naruo stretching out her cheeks…again. The fanboys, about to give up on their search for the two girls after nearly eighteen hours, even going so far as to search in the fields with torches, heard a loud yelp from one of the alleyways. Intrigued immediately, they sprinted and crowded into the alleyway to find…their "Silica-chan" squeezing the cheeks of a very knocked out Naruto.

"You like that, huh, Naruto!? Huh!? Hmph! Take this! And that!"

Suddenly, Silica stopped and turned her head slowly to the left, her senses screaming danger. When she saw all of the men in the alleyway, she immediately began to slap Naruto in the face repeatedly to wake him up. For a moment, all of the men just sweatdroppped before they ran after her screaming. She got up and dashed out of the alleyway, screaming as she ran with Naruto in tow, the blonde unconscious as he was dragged through the streets of the **Eleventh Floor**. A happy Valentine's Day indeed.

**XShuyaX**

**A/N: I was going to finish here…but…I decided to go a little further. After all, I won't be able to update all that often after this chapter. So, onwards, men! For Narnia!**

(Time Skip: 2 Days)

"Hmmm…."

Naruto opened his eyes and rolled over on his bed, quick to close his eyes to ignore the blinding light filtering in through the windows. Quickly going through his morning routine, Naruto walked out of the inn and went to the **Dungeon**. He was wearing a red jacket, dark blue pants and a silky black shirt.

Kirito wasn't lying when he said that the floor difficulty would increase exponentially when the **Eleventh Floor** was reached. However, to Naruto, the exponential was a joke. The difficult was too low to begin with on the first ten floors to him so the difficulty only increased by a little. However, for the average clearer…there were a lot more deaths than usual.

This also meant that the clearers leveled up much faster and became stronger at a more rapid pace. They also gained some actual experience while farming and in battle because the monsters began to use basic tactics to catch the players off guard. Not only that, but one of the most detrimental status ailments had finally been used by the monsters on the floor.

Paralysis. From seconds to minutes at a time, a player would be helpless and vulnerable to any kind of attack or harassment, from either monsters or players. Because of this, many solo players disappeared from the game and the real world. As a euphemism…they went to sleep forever.

Naruto walked down the path at a rather brisk pace. He felt the tall grasses brush against his pants, the wind whistle against his hair, the rising sun's heat warm the environment and the scenery, painting an image of pink and yellow over the mountains.

Naruto's feet stopped moving forwards. He stopped walking on the middle of the path on a field, staring at the rising sun. It was as if it were a sign to him. Every morning, the day would begin. Just like people. Night would come down, the sun would fall. But no matter what, people would get up again and rise. Hope would help them to soar, to help them fly out of his tower. At every moment mattered.

Naruto closed his eyes and breathed deeply once. When he opened his eyes, he smirked and began to sprint down the path to the boss room. After all, being fashionably late all the time wasn't good for the hero, right?

**XShuyaX**

(Time Skip: 30 Minutes)

Naruto reached out with his hand and grabbed a player's collar, barely pulling him out of certain death. The last sentinel of the boss punched into the air where the player had just been standing. The boy in front of him would have died from a jaw shattering punch, and his murderer would have been the sentinel, a far cry from the actual strength of the boss. Naruto dashed in and stabbed the sentinel through the chest, ending its short existence. It shattered into pixels.

The blonde recognized the player immediately. He had saved him from **Gregor, the Corrupted Lion** on a previous boss battle on the **Ninth Floor**. The only reason why he recognized him was because of how average he looked. They had talked lightly before the battle, the young teen thanking Naruto for saving him the week before. The boy sheepishly grabbed the back of his head as he thanked Naruto. The blonde just gave a curt nod, completely in a battle mindset

Naruto turned his head and glared straight forwards at the boss. It wielded a heavy axe and a shield, but unlike any of the other bosses, it wore light armor to mitigate the damage from the clearers. The armor was beginning to show signs of breaking down, but it had not disappeared yet and was easily soaking in a portion of the damage that would have crippled the boss quickly.

The worst part about the battle? The boss had a natural defense. It was a stone golem, towering over the players at a height of fifty feet. Even the sentinels had a natural defense due to its composition, although each of them had a noticeable weaker defense compared to the boss. The one advantage the players had was the fact that the boss had no **AOE **attack that could possibly kill every player in its immediate range.

Kirito backflipped away from the boss and landed next to Naruto, grunting from slight exertion. He had just deflected an axe strike from the boss before making a tactical retreat to heal and take a small breather, but even parrying the boss's blows chipped away at Kirito's health. Even if it was only 3% for each parry, that just showed how much powerful and how much of a nuisance this boss would be throughout the battle. Hell, the tanks couldn't even really soak up the damage since it was so damn strong. Only the best tanks were able to take a hit and stay in the green.

"Damn it, this boss is strong!" Naruto remained silent to Kirito's obvious evaluation of the boss.

**Colossal, the Stone Titan**. **Level 35**.

_I don't even know why it has such a high level. Is it relative to the average level of the clearing group? Why would the boss level go from __**Level**__**20**__ on the __**Tenth Floor **__to __**Level 35 **__on the __**Eleventh Floor**__?_

**Colossal, the Stone Titan** was heavily based on strength and defense, requiring almost no **Agility **or any other stats for the battle. Although it wasn't particularly fast, it had enough speed to prevent players from easily dodging its swings and strikes. A small slip-up would result in a death if the boss hit the player dead on, which is what happened to the other seven players that had died in the past ten minutes. And even though the boss had been taking hits and **Sword Skills**, the clearers hadn't even been able to take half of its first bar of health.

_Damn it, DAMN IT, __**DAMN IT**__! I can't do anything against this boss!_

Naruto charged in with his sword gleaming. When he had closed enough distance, he began his attack, starting off with a horizontal swipe against the thick stone legs of the boss. For some reason, the stone did not deflect the strike, and the sword phased through the substance like a knife through butter, leaving a searing red trail behind. However, it dealt almost no actual damage to the boss. He slashed vertically, screaming in rage.

_Again! __**Horizontal**__! __**Veritcal**__! __**Horizontal Square**__! _

Naruto's danger senses tingled for a moment. Not one to ignore his instincts, he fell to the ground and rolled forwards, the boss's axe scratching the surface of the ground where Naruto was previously slashing mercilessly on the boss's legs.

Naruto jumped back to Kirito and eyed the boss critically. Only a minute had passed, the two switching back and forth every minute. Kirito ran in again, patting Naruto's shoulder as his sign of switching off. Naruto nodded his head in affirmation and crossed his arms over his chest as he began to think deeply. He only had a minute, so it had to be good.

_What is the boss's weakness? What does stone have a weakness to? Water? We don't have enough. _

Naruto titled his head back and stared up at the glowing purple eyes of the stone golem. Its eyes seemed to be laughing at the mere humans trying to harm it. They were small annoyances that needed to be played with before taken care of.

Naruto clenched both of his fists, his face tightening into a hardened expression as he stared down the boss. It began another random, heavy swing, the axe slicing through the air and making a piercing sound. Before the axe hit the ground and could possibly kill any clearers, a tank somehow parried the blow with his own **War Hammer**, throwing the boss off balance for a few seconds.

_But a few seconds aren't worth ANYTHING if we can' do damage to it! What can do damage to it at a constant rate without defense getting in the way…constant…damage._

Naruto's eyes refocused and then widened in realization. He turned to his left to find where Silica-chan was. He had forced her to be a medic for this boss battle, worried for her safety. The two argued slightly, although Naruto had eventually won. Even so, Silica was slightly miffed that Naruto didn't trust her enough to fight against the boss. When she had voiced out her thoughts, Naruto immediately responded that it wasn't like he didn't trust her.

**XShuyaX**

(Flashback: Before Boss Battle)

"_It's not trust. This is the first floor that the bosses will become much harder. You've only been fighting with the clearing group for about a month. Not only that, but you've been lucky to have not seen death yet…and I've had to save you twice in boss battles. I'm doing this because I'm worried for your safety. Just for this boss fight, please?"_

"_Then why aren't you saying anything to Asuna-nii? Naruto shook his head._

"_Because she's been with us since the first floor. She has seen death like us and completely understands what she's doing and what the costs are for her actions. Besides, her reflexes and combat mind are extraordinary, and her speed and __**Agility**__ is almost on par with mine. She would be easily able to dodge boss strikes and conform to the flow of battle."_

_Eventually, Silica had relented and given in. Naruto patted her head. Silica just stuck out her tongue._

**XShuyaX**

(Time Skip: Boss Battle)

Flicking his eyes through the anxious clearers, Naruto saw two pigtails in the crowd of clearers that were backing off from the boss for the moment. Naruto ran over to the group and passed through a few people, going straight to Silica.

She was panting, tired from running around and supporting constantly. Although it had been only ten minutes, the pressure and anxiety had made the seemingly short battle much longer in their minds. Never had a boss pushed over a hundred clearers so far. Never had a boss been so powerful and had death seemed so near. \

However, it was not only the mental factor that was taxing the players, but it also the physical. The players had to constantly move around due to the boss's random swipes and strikes, leaving clearers to guess where the boss would hit next. Not only that, but they had to deal with the hundred plus sentinels. Luckily, the players had taken care of the sentinels within the first ten minutes, despite the difficulty of the feat. However, that was just another factor that made this battle that much more mentally and physically daunting to the clearers. Again, while focusing on the sentinels, the players had to keep an eye on the boss's absurdly strong axe swings that could end a player's life with only one hit.

Naruto tapped Silica on the shoulder to grab her attention. Without waiting for her to acknowledge him, he began to talk.

"I need the dagger I gave you when I first met you." Silica, instead of asking any questions or saying anything to acknowledge Naruto's demands, went into her **Inventory **and pulled out the **Vorpal Dagger**

Naruto gripped the handle and ran back to his position. When Kirito switched with him, Naruto would stab as many times as he could to get as many poison stacks in as he can. If this worked…this may be the way to finish the boss fight. Poison. It wasn't an exactly difficult status ailment to inflict, especially since many swords were now able to inflict the specific status ailment. However, most clearers had passed that stage and updated their weapons to superior gear, shifting towards blind. However, blind wasn't helping this death fight at all.

Kirito, once again, jumped back and patted Naruto's shoulder. Naruto sprinted in and stabbed the boss repeatedly with the dagger, using it as if it were a rapier. His hand blurred as he stabbed multiple times per second, piercing through the stone and leaving hundreds of red marks on the boss's leg. When Naruto jumped back to switch with Kirito again, he glanced at the boss's health bar. It had a noticeable dent in its health, a clear indication of the damage that the poison was dealing. Smirking slightly, Naruto stared at the boss's eyes once again, only to find it staring straight at him.

_SHIT! The boss's __**Hate **__is focused me since I just dealt the most damage!_

The boss took a lumbering step forwards, shaking the giant cavern from the movement. The vibrations left many players unstable. Luckily, not a single player had been crushed by the foot of **Colossal, the Stone Titan**. Naruto began to run in the opposite direction of the boss, trying to gain some distance.

"GUYS! USE WEAPONS THAT CAN INFLICT POISON! SWITCH YOUR WEAPONS FROM YOUR INVENTORY! THAT'S THE BOSS'S WEAKENESS!" Naruto ordered loudly as he continued to run around the cavern, dodging the boss's now directed and calculated deadly swings. Naruto flipped forwards, barely jumping over a ridiculously faster swing from the boss, the axe slicing through multiple hair strands.

_SHIT that was close!_

After he had landed and skid on the floor slightly, Naruto continued to run. However, the action proved unnecessary when the boss seemed to lose focus on the blonde, staring down at the flies that were stabbing its legs and feet with different weapons. Naruto smirked in triumph. The players had all listened to him. This gave them a huge chance to end the boss quickly now and as a bonus, having no casualties on the clearer's side.

Glancing up at the boss's **Health Bar**, Naruto's smirk widened when he saw that the boss had lost a bar of health, the poison stacking up and ticking away at its health at an absurd rate. It was now down to half of its **Health** **Points**, the majority of the damage dealt in the past two minutes.

_It seems that poison can stack up and deal true damage. Usually, it doesn't do that much damage, but I guess that every element has an element or status ailment that they are vulnerable to. And stone's weakness is…poison._

Staring into the boss's eyes, Naruto noticed that it was no longer focused or directed at anyone, as if it were lost.

_It can't focus its __**Hate**__ since everyone is dealing almost an equal amount of damage, so it returned to its previous tactic: swinging randomly and hoping to hit something. Although it's still dangerous, it isn't nearly as deadly as when it focused on someone._

"EVERYONE, CHARGE IN! WE'RE GOING TO FINISH THE BOSS!" Naruto roared loudly enough for his voice to echo throughout the cavern. Every player roared in response, charging in with their weapons drawn, every blade gleaming and shining brightly.

In another minute, the boss was down to its last drops of health from the constant besieges of the players. Its bar was in the red, clearly lower than 3%. Naruto smirked up at the boss as he continuously stabbed with his dagger. Although the boss couldn't say or feel anything, Naruto felt he had won against something, finding a weakness in the seemingly insane boss and exploiting it to the maximum.

"THIS IS IT! FINISH IT!" A clearer roared out.

"OOOOAAHHHHHHH!" Every clearer's blade lit up one more time for a final stab.

"…"

Silence. The stone titan stayed immobile, staring down on the puny humans that had just defeated it. Then, instead of shattering into blue polygons and disappearing into pixels, the titan began to disassemble. Stones began to fall in large numbers, each chunk at least the size of the average clearer in the room. However, before they hit the ground…they all shattered into blue polygons, lighting up the cavern.

After such a tiresome and taxing battle, the effects of the polygons were…beautiful and relaxing to say the least. It was like a work of art. Hundred of polygons, spinning and continuously shattering in the air, like snowflakes, except glowing, like fireflies.

Then, as if it were the finale, all of the polygons began to shine brightly enough to make every clearer cover their eyes. When the light dissipated, a large banner was in sight, with bold letters saying –

***Congratulations! You have defeated Colossal, the Stone Titan!***

Another message appeared, this time in Naruto's and every other player's menus.

***Congratulations! You have leveled up!***

"WE DID IT!"

"SCREW THE ELEVENTH FLOOR! WE'RE OUT OF HERE!"

"ONE STEP CLOSER TO HOME, BABY~!"

Naruto closed his eyes and let out a breath of relief, letting his shoulders sag. His blood flow began to slow down. His arms began to ache, his legs became sore and his mind turned to mush from thinking overdrive during such a stressful moment.

Once again, the clearers were able to get by another boss battle without a single death. Maybe his **Luck **had a small part in this fortune.

Removing his sword and placing it to his **Inventory**, Naruto held onto the **Vorpal Dagger** by the handle and looked around for his three friends. After a few seconds, he found Kirito with Asuna and Silica beside the two. Naruto made his way over and smiled when they looked over to him.

"Hey guys." Kirito gave Naruto a pat on the shoulder, smiling genuinely.

"Good move, Naruto. How did you know to use poison, though?" Asuna and Silica listened closely, also wanting to hear Naruto's though process and reasoning. Before he responded, he handed Silica her dagger, which she took with a small smile. Then, he turned back to Kirito to respond to his question.

"I didn't. I just thought of something that can use constant damage. You know how bosses are generally immune to status ailments? Well, I realized something. Whenever I fought a boss that was elemental in any way in every game I played, it was also vulnerable to certain status ailments or elements. So even though it had a natural defense due to its composition, its weakness would be either ice, water, or poison. That's what I realized from the games I've played. So…haha…it wasn't really reasoning." Kirito smiled while the two girls deadpanned, despite the possibly fatal situation they had been in just a few moments before.

"That's actually good reasoning, Naruto. Despite what you think, it worked. Not only that, Kayaba probably had to conform to the standards of games. This is a VMMORPG. Focus on the RPG portion of that phrase. What you did was just follow the standards of normal RPG games, like Final Fantasy XV." Asuna shook her head in exasperation.

"You two boys…I will never understand how you are so into games." Kirito and Naruto scoffed. Although Naruto wasn't really a game freak, he did enjoy playing classics and refined games that were well produced.

"Says the girl that's in a game with us," they said in unison. A moment later, both of them were sporting two large bumps on the top of their heads. Asuna brought her fist back to her side and smiled too sweetly, going into yandere mode.

"Did you two boys say something?" Naruto and Kirito both shook their heads quickly, their hands rubbing their new bruise.

'_She did more damage than the boss did to me!' _They both thought, again in complete unison.

Silica giggled, her hand covering her mouth.

"I know we're in a death game…" the mood dropped slightly at that. "…but…if I didn't accidently get stuck in this game, then I wouldn't have met you three and made such great friends. Asuna, you're like a sister to me. Kirito is like the brother that is always calm. And Naruto…"

A small dust of pink traced Silica's cheeks before she closed her eyes and pointed her finger at Naruto.

"…you're just stupid!"

Naruto faceplanted into the ground hard enough to shake it slightly. Kirito and Asuna laughed at Silica's assessment of Naruto. Kirito was laughing at the irony of it all. Naruto had beaten him in almost everything that could be tested on the mind: analytical, statistical, technical, and intellectual. But strangely, Naruto couldn't beat him in common sense.

Naruto got up on his knees, tears streaming down his face as he looked up at Silica.

"Why do you hurt me so much, Silica-chan?"

"Because you are! But…you're overprotective and caring, like Asuna. Sometimes you're really smart and calm, like Kirito. But most of the time…you're just Naruto." Naruto raised an eyebrow at that.

"What does that last part mean?" Silica smiled, her whole figure lighting up.

"I don't know, but it just suits you! Oh, I got it. Sometimes, you _act _stupid, but you do it to make others laugh. You love ramen to the point of irritation. You're extremely idiotic at other times. But that's what makes you Naruto, and it makes me glad that's who you are."

Naruto widened his eyes in surprise at Silica's words. He was still on his knees, staring up at Silica. Kirito and Asuna both coughed.

"Was that supposed to be a confession, Silica-chan?" Asuna coyly asked. Silica's face turned beet red. Then, she went tsundere mode.

"NO! I was just saying he's a good person. I don't like him at all! See!" Silica moved closer to Naruto and grabbed his cheeks before stretching them out to extraordinary proportions, Naruto whining and crying all the while.

Kirito and Asuna laughed again, enjoying the current situation they were in. All the clearers had already left the room to celebrate on the next floor, leaving the four by themselves in the boss room.

But they weren't really alone since they had each other. And this was one of the memories they would cherish for a long time. Kirito and Asuna continued to laugh as Silica stretched Naruto's cheeks apart, her eyes closed and cheeks red. Naruto was just laughing as he grabbed Silica's cheeks and stretched them as well, the two of them having a small competition to see who would give up first.

Life was good…even if they were in a death game.

**Chapter End**

**Omake: Rock Chocolate**

"Hmm…anyways, here you go, Kirito. I thought this would match you perfectly!" Naruto handed his friend a small box. The two girls eyed it suspiciously, wondering what was inside. Why would Naruto give Kirito, another guy, a gift on Valentine's Day? Did he play for the other side? Kirito wondered this also as he took the gift, voicing out his thoughts.

"Naruto…are you-"

"No no no no!" Heads had never shook so fast…except for that one traveling duck thing in Rave Master. "Just take it and open it! You'll see what I mean," he continued. Kirito sighed and took off the lid, only to find…

"Really, Naruto? A rock?" The two girls looked into the box and saw what Kirito was glaring at. It was a square rock, shaped into a cube with a foot in each dimension. Naruto nodded his head triumphantly.

"It's a chocolate rock! I just customized it as a rock because I thought it matches you!" Kirito sighed, but took it out to take a bite.

"Oh yeah…I forgot to tell you that-"

***Creeeak***

Kirito bit on the chocolate, his teeth shattering from the impact.

"-the outside is made of actual rock. That's how it looks so comparable to a rock. Sorry?"

Kirito looked up and stared at Naruto. His two front teeth fell from his mouth, leaving a gaping hole. He quickly closed his mouth, but the damage was already done. Naruto began to tremble, trying to holding in his laughter. Eventually, he couldn't hold it anymore.

"HAHAHAHAHAHA! GAHAHAHAHA, KIRITO!"

However, Naruto's voice brought a lot of attention to himself, including a mass of men that were charging through the street the hundreds.

"THERE'S OUR BARIMAID/ANGEL/WOMAN! LET'S GIVE HER OUR GIFTS! SILICA-CHAN!"

Kirito shot a quick glare at Naruto and gave him the famous "I'm watching you" gesture, pointing at his eyes, then Naruto's eyes.

"I'll be coming for you, Naruto." Naruto just kept laughing as he grabbed Silica and began to run.

"Well, have fun with the fanboys!" Kirito ignored Naruto and quickly ran away with Asuna.

"Hahaha, Kirito. I like your smile!" Kirito grumbled as he ran as fast as he could with Asuna laughing, slowing down his movement. He would never trust Naruto again with gifts.

**A/N: Was this chapter OK? Was it still up to expectation? *bites nails in anticipation* **

**This was more of a filler/fluff chapter. I wanted to take a little break from all the action, and so did Naruto and the rest of his gang. Right, guys?**

**Naruto and co.: *nods head in unison***

**Me: Right, see? There we go. Well…that's not really the reason why. I'm kind of stuck…just a little...on what I should do on the following floors. Ideas, people? Please?**

**Naruto: I'm not stupid! Why did you make us fight again?**

**Me: I can erase you…for ever**

**Naruto: Proof I'm not stupid. You spelled 'forever' wrong.**

**Me: …**

**Naruto: …**

**But anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. It seems that fluff is not really my thing…so I think I'll just stick to what I did the last five chapters. I'm sorry if you didn't enjoy this chapter.**

**Warning: I am returning to the prison called school. Do not expect constant updates. Maybe like…once a month or something, but that'll also give me more time to think of ideas. Thank you for your time, and I hope it wasn't wasted. If it was…I'm sorry, but I can't control time. However, I could send you Kami's gift to mankind…and it's not Mountain Dew, sorry.**


	7. Chapter 6: The Worst Possible Opponent

**Chapter 6: Lessons to be Learned and the Worst Possible Opponent**

**A/N: Hey guys! I'm back! Mwahaha, typing in school. Yea, there are a few classes where I do absolutely nothing in, so laptop it is, right? So, I just bring my laptop and type part of my story for like…an hour or something at a time…but it's loud and also quite difficult to type in classes.**

**THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR REVIEWS AND SUPPORT!**

**Me: *sigh*…I really wish I owned Naruto or Sword Art Online…but I own nothing else but the plot.**

**Naruto: Oh hey! Do you want me to do the disclaimer?**

**Me: Sure…this is just depressing to me.**

**Naruto: *victory sign* This guy doesn't own me or Sword Art Online in any way! In…any…way!**

**Me: *draws circles on the ground***

**WARNING: Prepare for confusing explanations…I tried my best. Please don't hate me. Also, I didn't get to review this because of certain reasons, so if there are errors and grammatical mistakes, I apologize sincerely. Hopefully, the errors do not detract too much from your enjoyment.**

**Chapter 6 START**

_Naruto's first title actually suited him better for the first fifty floors. However, I still have yet to see him lose in a duel. He only came once to losing, and that was against himself. It's strange how he can think tactics in the middle of battle, almost surreal._

_-Kirito_

(Location: 17th Floor)

_**April 6, 2026**_

_Slash. Stab. Slice. Uppercut. And then –_

"**DYNAMIC ENTRY**!" Naruto landed a devastating flying kick on the face of the quest boss, sending it flying. It crashed on the wall of the mine, shaking the large cavernous room, the stalagmites shaking and dropping some crystals from the roof. Naruto quickly grabbed a few pieces that fell to the floor, planning on possibly using it later to enhance his gear.

He was at the point where he could almost finally apply crystals to modify and upgrade his weapons, currently at **Level 38**. Although it had been two months only two more months, it was becoming increasingly difficult to level up. It was getting to the point where constant grinding would only net Naruto and Kirito one level per floor. However, at **Level 40**, they would be able to apply crystals.

Naruto sighed in exasperation, and then stared at the quest boss. It was a large, purple monkey. Despite its size and ridiculous color, it was extremely nimble and flexible, able to dodge a majority of Naruto's slower attacks. However, it had almost no defense. Therefore, whenever it was hit by a major hit, the monkey boss lost a large portion of its health, almost a full bar every time.

_**Level 38 **__boss…I guess I wasn't wrong. Every quest boss is the same level as the highest level player in the group or the solo player._

The monkey, **Marcus, the Desperate**, screamed in pain and fury. As the dust flew away from the cavern, clearing Naruto's vision, he saw the monkey glaring back him. It was on all fours, its eyes gleaming blue. Naruto took a glance at its **HP **bar.

_One bar left. I only landed 5 hits…but each one took at least five minutes to land._

The monkey leaped forwards, closing the large distance between Naruto and itself, quickly appearing in front of the blonde. It raised its hand and brought it down, smashing it against the earth and creating another crater. Naruto barely jumped away in time, landing a few yards away from the boss.

Inside the boss room for the quest, hundreds of craters marred the ground. Naruto had been hit twice by the boss. The first time was because he was surprised by the boss's speed and agility, causing him to lose almost a quarter of his health. The second time was because the boss caught Naruto by surprise again by deceitfully aiming to Naruto's left. However, its right fist was hidden from view. Half a second later, Naruto was flying through the air and landed on the wall face first, causing to lose almost half of his health. After that, however, Naruto was able to dodge and slowly wear the boss down.

For a moment, neither of the two moved, staring at each other. They were standing face to face, only a few yards of distance in between the two. Suddenly, both of them blurred from vision, a small shift of dust indicating their movement. An impact resounded throughout the cavern, and then another one.

The monkey shrieked as it viciously threw punches and kicks. Naruto expertly dodged every one of them, but he was on the ropes of the ring. Every time he threw a slash or a stab, the boss became faster and more vicious. If the boss landed a hit now, he was certain that he would lose a large portion of his health.

He was barely to dodge the masses of punches. One sliced his cheek. Another one barely blocked by his sword before it went right by his face. A sweeping kick that went right below his feet because he barely jumped in time.

The boss, immediately taking advantage of Naruto's airborne figure, increased its speed and viciousness, trying to land a single, heavy punch. However, instead of becoming nervous or worried for the short time he would be in the air, Naruto smirked.

_You fell for it._

As the first strike came closer and closer to Naruto's face, his smirk widened. Suddenly, eight swords appeared in both of Naruto's hands, each sword held on the handle in between every finger. The swords began to glow a bright red before Naruto spun once and threw them. All the swords spun in a circle around Naruto.

Bringing up a dagger from his **Quick Slot**, Naruto redirected the punch barely to the left of his face. He felt the wind from the punch pass his face, indicating the strength of the punch.

_My turn! Original Skill…_

Each of the swords stayed in midair around Naruto before he began to spin, the blade turning and spinning at a rapid pace along with their weilder.

_**Circle Swords**__! _

Each of the swords began to circle rapidly around Naruto, becoming a blur. Naruto grabbed onto the arm of the monkey and pulled himself closer to the boss's body. As soon as the first blade sliced the boss, all eight of them began to pierce its stomach. Naruto brought himself closer to the boss as his original skill continued to slice its stomach, his body spinning until he became a blur of black and red. Now, the blades were sinking in about three feet deep, his blades turning into a deadly twister and vortex.

With a final shriek of pain, the monkey disappeared as it shattered into thousands of blue polygons. Naruto fell to the ground on his knees, extremely dizzy from spinning so much. He began to pant and breathe heavily from the long use of his last skill.

**Original Skill: Circle Swords**. Naruto created this skill a few weeks after Kayaba patched the ability to throw mid to heavy weight weapons. This included swords. The blonde realized this when he was farming and was trying to throw his sword for fun. Instead of flying straight and grooving itself deep into a tree, the sword flew a few inches and stopped, levitating in the air.

His interest sparked, Naruto experimented for the rest of the day and deep into the night, trying to make the blade spin around him while still levitating. By using the **Sword Skill Horizontal** on each sword while throwing them, they would spin rapidly, creating an invisible vortex around the blonde. If he applied **Horizontal **to himself and spun with the levitating blades, the blades would spin even faster and become a blur. However, the skill took a few days of continuous practice. A few times, the swords would somehow turn around and smack somewhere onto Naruto's body, usually resulting in a painful lump of flesh on the floor in a forest full of "weak" monsters. One time, three of the eight swords slammed into his precious parts with the pommels, leaving him on the floor for a few minutes, crying silently to himself. Luckily, the game quickly healed his male parts and would not result in permanent damage.

Naruto shuddered remembering his training for a moment.

_Thank Kami that the game doesn't result in permanent effects. I would have…oh Kami, thank you! Oh, let's see what I got from the quest._

***Congratulations! You have completed the Quest: Monkey Slayer!***

Naruto sweatdropped.

_I still think that was a really stupid name. Whatever, what did I get?_

***You have obtained:**

**3000 EXP**

**300 Col**

**5 Hi-Potions**

**1 Darkness Belt***

Naruto sighed. Although the **EXP **was worth the quest, considering the fact that the **EXP** from the grinding and farming monsters, even in the **Dungeons**, results in minimal gains in every **EXP**, Col, and item. However, he spent nearly four hours looking for the stupid boss inside the damn cavern. It was hiding the whole time in a corner! Naruto had passed the cave twice before he had finally found the boss. What was even worse was that the boss moved around multiple times, appearing nearer or farther away from Naruto's map, as if taunting Naruto to find it.

Naruto walked out of the cavern and began to take the mountain path down back to the **Town**. He had finished all of the quests on the **Seventeenth Floor** and would spend the rest of the time before the boss either training on the **Second Floor Mountaintop** or meeting up with his three precious people.

Naruto sighed an opened his menu, rechecking his stats for a few moments as he continued to walk down the mountain path.

**Level: 38**

**Stats:**

**Points: 0**

**Strength: 94(+20)(+10)**

**Defense: 72(+22)(+15)**

**Agility: 217(+140)(+25)**

**Intelligence: 79(+13)**

**Luck: 205(+0)**

**Chakra Pool: 16735/?**

**Chakra Control: 1000/1000***

**Academy Chakra Control: 1000/1000***

**Genin Chakra Control: 799/1000**

**Sword: 877/1000**

**Dagger: 644/1000**

**Abilities:**

**Horizontal: 1000/1000***

**Horizontal Square: 523/1000**

**Slant: 1000/1000***

**Vertical: 1000/1000***

**Vertical Square: 733/1000**

**Kawamiri no Jutsu: 1000/1000***

**Henge: 42/1000**

**Bunshin no Jutsu: 422/1000**

**Kage Bunshin no Jutsu: 1000/1000***

**Kage Bunshin Barrage: 101/1000**

**Tree Walking: 1000/1000***

**Water Walking: 1000/1000***

**Kunai Spin Chakra Control: 144/1000**

**Leaf Chakra Control: 587/1000**

**Dynamic Entry: 576/1000**

**Leaf Whirlwind: 133/1000**

**A Lost Art: ?/?**

**Rasengan: 433/1000**

**Chakra Manipulation: 399/1000**

**?: 0/1000**

**Special Abilites:**

**Points: 0**

**Hear My Roar: 9/18**

**Becoming the Flash: 29/50**

Naruto closed his eyes as he swiped his hand downwards through the air, closing his holographic menu. Stopping by a tree on the path, he exhaled deeply…and then inhaled slowly. Holding his air for a moment, he began to think about the outside world.

Six months had already past in the game. Everything followed a routine. The days were beginning to blur into a seemingly endless cycle of grinding and quests and leveling up. Every day, Naruto would leave hundreds of clones on the **Second Floor** mountaintop, training his **Sword Skills** and **Chakra Control**.

The world of **SAO** and the world outside were merging in his mind. Details that represented the outside world, his old life, were becoming gray and shaded. Facts that defined the outside world were becoming hazy, gone from memories. All that Naruto knew was that his family and friends were waiting outside, and this world was not real. He had to get out.

But for now…this was his life and reality. Every day here was real. Every fight in this world was to the death. His friends were his true friends. Kirito, Asuna, and Silica were possibly the closest friends Naruto had ever had. Because they had been in deadly situations together so many times, they trusted and confided in each other more than the closest friends in real life would. How could they not, being in life threatening situations almost every day together? In the death game, each of them wanted to die with no regrets; secrets, maybe, but not other things that would make them regret an action they did not do before dying.

Naruto sighed out and breathed in again deeply as he opened his eyes, exposing his blue cerulean eyes once again to the digitized world around him. Then, he began to walk again, his feet crunching against the leftover leaves on the path. Spring was coming, and the leaves were turning green. The wind played with the branches, the shade on the ground mixing with the light filtering through the leaves. The shadows danced and crawled on the floor, making a beautiful and surreal effect.

_If only the real world could be beautiful like this._

**XShuyaX**

(Time Skip: 3 Hours)

"Naruto, did you get me a smoothie today?" Naruto began to sweat at Silica's too sweet smile before he dropped his head.

"No…" Silica's eyes gleamed a murderous red as she glared at Naruto. Asuna and Kirito sweatdropped in their chairs, both of them sliding away from the table.

"…APRIL FOOLS!" Naruto yelled, surprising Silica and the rest of the group as he pulled out a strawberry smoothie from his **Inventory**. Silica's eyes lost its gleam before she smiled. Suddenly, Naruto was flying through the air and crashed into an **Immortal** building wall, somehow breaking the sound barrier in midair.

Silica dropped her fist and looked up at the smoothie that was falling in the air. She grabbed the cup, and in an act of dexterity, she caught all of the smoothie droplets into the smoothie cup. Then, she drank contentedly, slurping from the straw as she closed her eyes.

"Baka…it's not the first day of April anymore." Naruto appeared out of nowhere, looking perfectly healthy despite the heavy punch he had just received from Silica.

"It's still April, though." Kirito and Asuna joined the two again at the table.

"Naruto, you only do that during the first day of April. In fact, I don't even know why you do that because that's not even really a part of our culture." Kirito said in a matter-of-fact tone. Naruto just dropped his head and began to pout by himself in response, a dark rain cloud hovering over his head.

***Slurppp***

The blonde raised his head and stared at Silica's cup, once again empty within a minute. This fact befuddled Naruto every time he bought her a smoothie.

_How can a small girl like her finish thirty-two ounces of smoothie within a minute? Then again, I can't really say anything against that. I can finish ten large bowls of ramen within five minutes._

Naruto sighed and got into his seat again, leaning backwards on his chair. After he had sfhited into a comfortable position, leaning against two of the legs of the chairs, he lifted his feet and placed them against the stump of the table.

"How do you guys feel about this game?" Naruto asked. The other three on the table raised their eyebrows in confusion. Asuna voiced her thoughts.

"What do you mean by that question? I mean, the graphics and the electronic signals are phenomenal, if that's what you mean." The blonde shook his head in denial. Then, he raised his head and stared at each of his friends in the eyes.

"What I mean is…how do you guys feel about living in this world? I've gotten so used to this game that it's almost as if I've been living like this for my whole life. I mean…I still remember my hobbies, my family, and what I used to do in school. The celebrations and how I lived, and I still _want _to get out of here…but I feel like…" Naruto hesitated for a moment, pausing slightly.

"This is our real life." Kirito finished for him. Naruto nodded his head in affirmation. Asuna and Silica just sat still in their respective chairs, just listening silently. They wouldn't say anything until Naruto had finished; his reasoning was almost always persuasive and conclusive unless it dealt with ramen. If it dealt with that stupid spaghetti splashed in some random soup, Silica would take care of him.

"I don't know. We follow a schedule every day. On Monday, we grind and take quests, and Tuesday, we do the same thing. And Wednesday. Every day of the week, we've been doing the same thing, with only small nuances in our schedule to produce slightly different schedules and routines. And while all of this is happening, people are consistently dying."

Kirito flinched visibly when Naruto stated how people were dying. It almost sounded as if he were used to it.

"The worst part of this all is that…people dying almost became a routine…a truth to this game to me. Even though we've had sixteen perfect boss battles with no deaths, people are always dying on the fields or by suicide. And eventually, people will die on the boss battles when the bosses become more difficult. It's only a matter of time…and it's just a truth to me. It doesn't plague my thoughts like it used to."

Kirito just stared at his friend. Naruto's eyes were barely visible below his spiky golden bangs, shadowed and downcast. At this moment, his normally cheerful and exuberant friend seemed almost broken and lost. It just didn't seem to be Naruto. Silica and Asuna felt the same.

"We're going to go home." Silica said with determination. Naruto raised his eyes to look at her. Silica just stared straight back, her eyes gleaming and filled with strength.

"We are going to get out this tower," Asuna said with equal determination. Naruto raised his head slightly higher and turned to Asuna. The chestnut haired girl smiled at the blonde. Kirito sighed. He had his own part to say.

"Although you may be stupid and exuberant at times…I know how calculative and smart you actually are. You did your best to save as many people as possible Naruto, as have I, but we can't do anything about those deaths that we couldn't prevent."

It was true. Naruto almost made a few hundred clones to train instead of his possible thousand because he placed hundreds of clones throughout the floors in random places. These clones would meditate and at the same time, increase their senses. That way, if any players were in a possible lethal situation, the clones would be able to prevent it, since the clones had the same stats as the original Naruto, only that it would disperse after a single hit. Luckily, not a single clone had been hit before, mainly due to the unnaturally high level and speed of the blonde. However, despite all of Naruto's efforts, the deaths continued, never ceasing every day.

Kirito continued speaking, ignorant of all of Naruto's racing thoughts.

"The definition of insanity is expecting something to change when doing to same thing over and over again. If we don't change the way we do things, we can't expect any changes. However, what we are doing may be the best way, since we haven't had a single death in a boss battle since the **First Floor** boss battle. So cheer up, it's not over yet, Naruto. I can't have my competition be all depressed and broody; if he is, then it wouldn't be as fun to beat him and take the number one spot, now would it?" Kirito finished with a smirk.

Naruto just stared up at the three of them, each of the smiling back at him with their own flair. Kirito had a small smirk in response to Naruto's usual foxy attitude. Asuna had an eye-smile as her grin widened. Silica was staring at Naruto with a determined look, telling him to say anything otherwise to what any of the three had just said.

"Tch…of course!" Naruto's eyes lost its downcast look and took upon one of cheer and strength. "We'll all get out of here alive!"

**XShuyaX**

(Time Skip: 4 Days)

Naruto backflipped away from the boss, easily dodging the axe swipe by a wide margin.

_Too slow!_

As soon as he landed, Naruto flashed back into combat, closing the distance in a moment to get back into striking range. His sword glowed white as he prepared his **Sword Skill**, his blade shining above his head.

"Urrraahh!"

***Clang!***

Naruto widened his eyes in shock. In front of his sword was the boss's sharp end of the axe, easily blocking his strike. Naruto increased the pressure of his strike, using his body weight. Sparks flew into the air from the metal scratching against the other metal, but all his effort was to no avail. The boss turned its head up to glare straight into Naruto's eyes. Instead of striking fear into the heart of the young blonde, a smirk plastered itself onto his face as he said three words.

"Look behind you."

Kirito flashed in front of the boss, his sword losing its shine as he twirled it in the air three times before placing it inside of its sheath. Suddenly, a blue square appeared surrounding the boss before it disappeared slowly, going away in a haze.

The boss gleaming red eyes were still staring up at Naruto until it shattered into polygons, the giant humanoid disappearing forever into the castle called Aincrad. Naruto dropped to the floor, gracefully landing on his feet without making a trace or sound.

***Congratulations! You have defeated Apocalypse, the Giant!***

***Congratulations! You have leveled up!***

Naruto closed the messages and his menu and looked up to face Kirito. However, the black haired swordsman was already walking away, most likely trying to get away from gaining attention. Sadly, Naruto understood why he was doing it. Kirito had taken the **Last Attack**, and most likely, due to his status as a **Beater**, many of the players would stack that into their already large reasons to hate Kirito. With the last action added to the list, they may try to force Kirito to give them his gear and equipment at any time.

Naruto sighed and began to walk to the stairs up to the next floor, the **Nineteenth Floor**. Stepping in front of it, Naruto stayed still for a moment before placing his palm on the middle of the giant door. Forcing himself through, he walked through and took his first steps onto the **Nineteenth Floor**.

Walking around the streets aimlessly, Naruto glanced at the new shops and NPC restaurants. There was almost no changes on this floor from what he can see, and there was nothing to capture his attention. No amazing, rupturing view of the landscape that would take his breath away. No full moon to make Naruto glaze his eyes over to stare at. No festive lanterns hanging throughout the streets to cheer up the mood of the players.

Naruto pushed his hands into the pockets of his black pants as he walked through the streets of the town until he reached a seemingly random alleyway.

_This should be the meeting spot…the organization of the first towns are almost all the same, so he should be here._

Sure enough, a figure walked out of the shadows of the alleyway, his boots sounding heavily on the paved stone floor. When the light reached his shadowed face, it revealed a smiling Kirito.

"Hey, Kirito? What's up?" Naruto walked up to his friend and brought out his fist. Kirito brought out his own and gave Naruto a fist bump, a gesture of their close ties.

"Not much. We got lucky again today. No casualties and deaths again during the boss battle." Naruto's eyes seemed to lighten from the information as relief coursed through his body.

"I guess the players are getting used to difficulty. Do you know how many deaths there are lately?" Kirito shook his head.

"Why don't you ask Argo? She should have all of the information you need, Naruto." Naruto crossed his arms, glaring lightly at Kirito.

"You know I'm not going to talk to that rat anytime soon again. If she caught whiff of any of my secrets, she wouldn't stop searching and researching me until she got what she wanted. What's even worse is that according to her, "everything has a price." Basically, for the right amount of col, every single player in this damn game can know all of my secrets, and I can't let that happen…not yet anyways."

Kirito sighed and took a few steps to the side to sit on a box of crates, getting into a relaxed position with his hands supporting his upper body. Naruto walked to the other side of the alleyway and leaned against the wall, re-crossing his arms over his chest.

"I don't get you, Naruto. Why won't you just use it during boss battles, especially your clones?" Naruto shook his head.

"A strange ability that no one has and can achieve. Sounds a bit fishy, especially from a person that is the friend of the **Beater**. Not only that, but I already have enough attention on myself."

Kirito nodded his head in assent from Naruto's last remark. Naruto truly did already have enough attention garnered from many of the players. At least a thousand had asked Argo about Naruto, his stats, his abilities, his equipment and fighting style; pretty much everything about Naruto himself was asked. Argo, luckily, did not have an answer to most of the questions since Naruto and his friends kept a tight lip.

However, Asuna and Silica still didn't know about Naruto's secret of being able to use chakra. True, it could be a huge boon if Naruto could any of his clones in battle but –

"Actually, that's all bullshit. I already used chakra in plenty of the boss battles, but I don't have any extremely offensive abilities yet; my possibly strongest ability constantly blows up in my face. Also, do you think Kayaba would actually let me use clones during a boss battle to prevent as many deaths as possible? No, of course he wouldn't."

Kirito turned his head to the sky and scoffed in annoyance, as if glaring up at the creator of the game in the night sky. Naruto tilted his head back and stared at the blanket of stars covering over his head. Although not as mesmerizing as the sky usually was, it was still an exceptional sight that outclassed modern Japan's sky any day.

Naruto sighed as he brought his eyes back down to Kirito, bringing his hands down into his pockets to warm his hands from the night chill. A small wind had picked up, shifting the two boys' hairs lightly, the strands of hair swaying with the small zephyr lightly.

"So, basically I can only use a certain amount of my skills. And I realized that during boss battles, the amount of chakra required for any ability is exponentially higher than outside of the boss room, depending on how chakra intensive the ability is." Kirito widened his eyes in shock, but Naruto wasn't done yet. "Not only that, but if I didn't tell you, chakra is the mixture between physical energy and the user's life force. If I get careless and use too much of my energy…I'll die."

"What?"

Naruto kept his eyes fixed on Kirito as the black haired swordsman lost his relaxed position and sat straight up, his eyes wider than the moment before. The wind stopped for a moment. Silence descended upon the two teens, the alleyway picking up on the serious tone of the conversation.

"But…there are multiple ways to counteract this restriction on me." Kirito's eyes narrowed only slightly, his body losing some stiffness, albeit only slightly. However, some relief began to course through his body, his worry for his blonde friend dropping by a nuance.

"Of course, like every other player, my energy level increases as time passes or as I train it. If a player is extremely mana-intensive by spamming his **Sword Skills**, his mana pool will increase naturally, and his mana regeneration will also increase as a result." Kirito nodded. This much, he knew about the mechanics of the game. OK, maybe he knew a lot more about it, but so far, he would just listen to Naruto.

"OK, so what else?" Kirito asked, prompting Naruto to continue. The spiky haired blonde pointed his thumb at his own face, although none of his mirth and exuberance was present. Only complete serious remained.

"The same is true for me. I may have a ridiculous amount of the energy source, but there is another drawback. Any use of **Sword Skills** depletes a certain amount of chakra from my somewhat large pool…and it would cost the same amount as my normal chakra abilities."

Kirito's analytical eyes lost its concentration for a moment. It glazed over slightly as the slightly shorter teen leaned back against the wall and brought up his palm to his chin. Then, his eyes regained its concentration.

"That's why you don't use **Sword Skills** during boss battles often." Naruto nodded his head. This was why it was easy for Naruto to talk with Kirito about his abilities and secrets and why he was OK with it. Kirito could catch onto certain details quickly. Although this reason slightly hurt Naruto, Kirito was a **Beater**. Because of this _small_ detail, Kirito would not really be able to tell anyone else other than Asuna and Silica, and maybe a few other people. However, he would never tell Argo any of Naruto's secrets. Also, if Kirito told any other players about Naruto's unique abilities and skillset, they would most likely ignore him or berate him for blaming another player of something when he himself deserved nothing but to be alone, a solo player.

"Well, you caught on to that rather quickly." Kirito smirked for a moment before his face went straight back to his usual calm façade. To Kirito, what Naruto was telling him was not good news in any way. Although the skillset Naruto has and could have in the future could be a complete game changer, it sounds like it was more of a curse than a boon at the moment. Maybe on the later floors, however, Naruto would be able to use his energy freely.

Suddenly, Kirito remembered a small detail from the boss battle about a half hour ago.

"Naruto, how did the boss deflect your attack? I thought with your speed, the boss wouldn't be able to keep up with you. Not only that, but with your momentum in addition to your **Strength**, you shouldn't have been thrown away like that, or at least not that easily." Naruto shook his head, confused as well about that small detail.

"I don't know how it kept up with me, either. However, that's like saying the boss can't keep up with you either, Kirito. I know you're also a speed based player."

"Not like you. You place all of your stats into your **Agility** and let the rest of your stats naturally grow. But then again, I remember reading before the actual game was released that bosses would be able to keep up somehow. I'm also able to see you, so maybe the boss and the other players can as well." Naruto lowered his head slightly, the shadows obscuring his face from clear view.

"Yea, that's possible. Anyways, there are other ways of increasing my chances of using extremely chakra-intensive abilities in future boss battles, although they will be much later in the future. The first is perfecting my chakra control. I'm around intermediate level, despite the fact it's already been six months into the game. I've been making most of my clones train my abilities and chakra control, but Kayaba patched my growth speed as well so that I won't increase in skill nearly as quickly as I should be."

Kirito nodded his head. RPG's had to have some kind of fair play, although not completely fair. Numbers made a big difference, especially later on in the game. Higher numbers can make someone invincible. For Naruto, it would eventually make him invisible due to his already ridiculous speed. Talking about Naruto becoming invisible –

"Hey, Naruto. Did you know that you have two new nicknames?" Naruto raised his eyes at that.

_This is new. _

"Nope. Where did you hear it from?" Kirito chuckled a little before responding.

"Actually, I read it from the daily newspaper. It went something like "a blonde knight defeated forty-seven players in a duel to protect two beautiful maidens"…I think." Naruto growled out in annoyance as he dropped his head again. This time, Kirito laughed freely with no restraints.

"That's so stupid! Silica-chan and Asuna aren't weak by any means." Kirito stopped laughing, but his body was still trembling slightly.

"The daily newspaper never said they were weak; just that you were their knight. Anyways, because of your actions almost two months ago, you finally got a nickname. Actually, the first one you had ever since that day, and the second one is more recent, like about two days ago."

Naruto seemed to be nonchalant, but his eyes showed anticipation. He was finally making a name for himself. Everyone in their group already had some kind of name. Asuna was **The Flash**. This actually made Naruto pout mentally to himself when he heard Asuna's epithet. Damn it, Naruto was the fastest player in the game!

Silica actually became one of the best dagger users in the game, consistently practicing with her weapon of choice during her quests and while she grinded in the **Dungeon**. Although she hadn't earned a name for herself yet, she was quickly becoming popular among the players. However, Naruto and Kirito noticed it was mainly due to her looks and cuteness that attributed to all the attention that she was gathering from the player population.

Kirito, of course, was still the **Beater**. However, he showed multiple times his skill with the sword, showing almost unparalleled ability and skill with a blade. Always wearing a long, black coat and using a one hand, no shield style, he had earned the epithet of the **One-Handed Dark Swordsman**. Naruto made fun of Kirito when he found out his nickname; Naruto pointed out how the players must have attached the "dark" portion to imply Kirito's **Beater** status.

"Yea, I know that." Kirito replied to Naruto's outburst calmly. "Anyways, do you want to hear your new nicknames or not?" Naruto immediately nodded his head with enthusiasm, giving Kirito his undivided attention.

"I need to hear them, 'ttebayo!" Kirito stayed silent a moment and just stared at Naruto evenly. Then, he began.

"The first one, like I said before, was right after you challenged those forty-seven players to a duel and won. Within a week, the majority of players assented to give you the title of **The Duelist**."

Naruto's eyes closed as a large smile made way to his face, pronouncing his whisker marks. Giving an eye smile and a thumbs-up, Naruto yelled loudly into the night, bothering no one since there was currently no one else in the new town.

"Hell yeah, 'ttebayo! That sounds sick! What's my other one?" Kirito chuckled at Naruto's enthusiasm and at what he was about to say next.

"Well…your other nickname is…"

Naruto leaned forwards as he dropped his arms and looked straight at Kirito intently.

"…**The Dark Flash: Kokuei Senkou**."

Naruto immediately face planted on the ground. Instead of getting up and screaming obscenities randomly or crying comically while on his knees, Naruto began to moan on the ground. His face was still face down, flat against the cool surface of the stone paved floor.

"Why? Why does everything I get seem to be emo and dark? All of my rewards from **Last Attacks **were **Dark **items…and now I have another thing that is dark applied to me." At this point, Naruto looked up from the ground and faced Kirito, who was sniggering lightly. Naruto gave a mock glare as he pointed at his friend. "And don't laugh, you asshole! This doesn't mean anything! Just because I'm dark doesn't mean I'm evil!"

Kirito stopped laughed and just smiled down at Naruto.

"Meh…whatever. It seems like karma you got that name when you pointed out that small connection between my nickname and my reputation with players. Maybe the same holds for you?"

Instead of responding, Naruto just sighed as he got up on his feet. Patting his pants and clothes to get rid of the dirt, he made a small resolution. The blonde looked up at the sky and stared at it for a moment before speaking again.

"Ne, Kirito? Do you know where I can get custom clothing?"

**XShuyaX**

(Location: Random Shop)

"This is it."

"…"

Naruto stared at the door of the shop. Instead of the usual design, the shop seemed to resemble traditional Japanese housing. The whole place was made of wood and was surrounded by plants and water. Then again, the reason was most likely due to the fact it was outside of the main town, but still on the edge of a safe zone in a forest.

"Well, aren't you going to go in?" Naruto turned his head to Kirito and stared at him.

"You said you came here for your clothes, right? And that she only accepts your request if she is interested?" Kirito nodded, not understanding where this was going. Naruto sighed and turned his sights back to the door.

"Whatever. I don't even know how you got her interested enough to talk to you." A small tick mark adorned Kirito's face as he pushed Naruto forwards.

"Just go in, you idiot." He said, slightly irritated. Naruto grabbed at the wooden handle and pushed to slide open the traditional door.

"Excuse me!" Naruto said loudly as he entered the shop. Taking a quick glance throughout the shop, he realized it was somewhat bare. There was a circular table in the middle of the room with a few papers and documents strewn about on top of it. Near the opposite end of the room, there was an open passageway to somewhere deeper inside the shop, and directly in front was a cashier's desk. However, the most noticeable thing inside the bare room was the amount of sewing items and models on the left side of the room.

Naruto whistled in appreciation of the dedication the tailor must have.

"Woah…this is actually pretty cool, Kirito." Kirito nodded, his calm façade never leaving his face, although he also appreciated the amount of work the tailor put into her pieces and custom orders.

"I know, Naruto. I was also surprised the first time I came here. And you know what the craziest thing is?" Naruto turned his head around in interest to listen closely. "She already mastered the skill **Sewing**." His eyes widened from that information. The amount of hours and dedication spent to complete even one skill took an exorbitant amount of time. To complete a skill that quickly in a game was a huge achievement. Naruto and Kirito both were still trying to master their respective skills. Naruto was slightly farther in his skill with the sword, peaking at around **900 **out of the possible **1000**, even with the use of his **Kage Bunshin** to train for him. Kirito was standing around **876**, due to his constant grinding and perennial farming.

"That's ridiculous! She completed it in the first six months of the game?" Naruto shock was clearly evident in his voice, his facial expression only portraying further his surprise.

"That's right," a slightly feminine voice said from the back of the room. Naruto turned around and widened his eyes again from surprise. In front of him was possibly one of the most beautiful – strike that – the most beautiful woman he had ever met. He had seen beautiful women, but they were always on television or on magazines, and he always chalked up their looks to mascara and makeup. However, the woman in front of him completely blew him mind.

_Wow…her dark obsidian eyes…her pale skin…an hourglass figure…measureme-DAMN YOU ERO-JIJI!_

Naruto shook his head to get the perverted thoughts out of his head. He was a growing teen with hormones, but he was better than his godfather when it came to controlling himself. Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, Naruto calmed himself before opening his eyes and beginning his bargain.

"I came to make a custom order." The woman looked at him with amusement. She was smiling, but it seemed to be more of a knowing smile, understanding something that Naruto didn't. It grated on his nerves slightly.

"Of course you did. That's why players come to me." She said in a somewhat condescending and higher-than-thou tone. Naruto let the attitude of the tone fly over his head as he continued.

"I think I have some items that will interest you." The beautiful woman looked down at her nails before looking back up at him a moment later. She stared at him with her everlasting smile. Naruto made an eye-smile and grinned right back with the same condescending attitude.

Kirito just sweatdropped as lightning seemed to spark between the two.

_Really? I didn't have any problems when I came. And isn't she around like…twenty or something? She seems immature right now…or maybe it's just that Naruto is more mature than most teens are._

The competitive atmosphere disappeared as Naruto dropped his smile and opened his menu. Opening his menu, he deftly navigated through the choices before opening a trade menu.

"These are the items I am will to share with you for my clothes." Ashley opened menu and looked at the trade menu request Naruto sent her. Immediately, her eyes shot wide open. Naruto smirked in victory.

Kayaba made a patch that prevented **Kage Bunshin** from gaining **EXP** from farming or quests, but it didn't prevent the **Kage Bunshin** from obtaining items and loot if they kept it in their **Inventory**. Once they dispelled, the original Naruto gained all of their gains throughout the day.

"H-how did you…" Naruto's smirk widened as he said one of his trademark responses.

"That's a secret!" He said with a megawatt grin and an eye smile.

Kirito, for once not at the receiving end of that remark, actually found it funny, but he held in his laughter. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned…or just angered in general. Otherwise, how else would Silica be able to send Naruto flying away with a single punch.

Ashley looked up, her jet black eyes boring into Naruto, slightly irritated at his response. Then, she sighed as accepted all of the items; she would need them for the clothes she would create.

"OK, little gaki. What do you want, hmm?"

"Can you make me something that relates to darkness? Most likely a dark gray or red coat with flames on the bottom would be nice. On the shoulder, I want the hilt to be able to hold one sword for convenience, like Kirito over there. What else?" Naruto looked up to the ceiling with his finger in his chin, thinking deeply to himself. Suddenly, he brought his fist down on his palm as he looked back at the seamstress.

"With that, I'll have a dark blue shirt with a spiral on the chest area, which should be crimson red. Finally, I want my pants to be dark red with white and black stripes going down the sides. On the thigh area, can you make some pockets? That would be great if you can do all that, _baa-chan_.

Ashley's smile turned feral as a tick mark grew on her forehead. She slammed her hands on the counter and leaned forwards.

"Is that a challenge, _gaki_?" Naruto stepped a fewt feet until he was right in front of her.

"Do you want it to be a challenge, _baa-chan_?" Lightning began to cackle between the two again, sparks flying everywhere throughout the room.

Kirito pinched his nose in annoyance and sighed. He walked over next to Naruto and pulled him back, taking Ashley's attention away from the blonde brat to the hamdsome young man.

"Ashley, we don't have time for this. Can you make it?" Ashley's demeanor immediately shifted. Her smile became somewhat seductive as she composed herself, her anger and ire completely disappearing.

"Of course, Kirito-kun. It'll be done by next week." Kirito tilted his head in confusion.

"Why next week? I know that you can finish your orders in at most three days." Ashley just tapped her finger against Kirito's forehead in response, laughing lightly at his question.

"Of course, Kirito-kun, that is true. However, that little gaki over there brought in a large amount of rare and expensive loot. Well, rare and expensive compared to the first twenty floors." Kirito whipped around and glared at Naruto. Naruto immediately took a few steps back from Kirito's heated glare and began to sweat slightly.

"W-what?" Kirito continued to glare until he said his next words slowly.

"You…this has something to do with your **Luck** stats, doesn't it?" He said the word '**Luck**' with so much venom that it seemed as if the stat was more of a sinister stat then a fortuitous one.

"I guess? Hehe…" Kirito took a few steps towards Naruto and pointed at him.

"Next time you go grinding out on the fields, I'm coming with you. I still don't understand how someone like you has so much **Luck**." Naruto just laughed sheepishly and scratched the back of his head as he looked away from his friend.

Kirito turned back around to talk lightly with the seamstress. Naruto sweatdropped and how quickly his friend's attitude can change, although it rarely changed at all.

"So how much do you think it will affect him overall?" Ashley opened her menu and rechecked the goods Naruto gave her. Scrutinizing it with an expert glance, she perused it for only a second before looking back up and responding Kirito's question.

"The pants and boots will increase his speed by around **40 **together. His shirt and long coat will increase his defense by around **50**. I don't know where he got these items and loot, but I have never seen them before. Most of these items will be common drops during the fortieth or fiftieth floor. Even on the thirtieth, it would be considered moderately rare. To have so many of them, that gaki, your friend over there, much have a ridiculous amount of luck." Kirito nodded his head calmly, although inside he extremely surprised. Increases in stats like that would tremendously improve Naruto's overall performance. The combination of pants and boots usually increased a player's **Agility** by around **30**. Also, the average for an increase in **Defense **from a player's shirt and jacket was around **40**.

"Um…aren't you forgetting around the armguards and rings you can make from those items I gave you?" Ashley shook her head at the blonde's question.

"Sadly, I have never done those before, and I can't. I'm a _seamstress_. Go find a blacksmith for those items. Here, take those items back." A trading menu opened in front of Naruto as received the items that the seamstress wouldn't be able to use.

"OK, then. Arigatou, _baa-chan_." Before the beautiful woman could respond by throwing one of her needles, Naruto had already run out of the door. When the door and slammed shut, Kirito turned away from the running blonde and back to the woman in front of her.

"Are you sure that the items are rare?" Ashley just nodded and smiled warmly at Kirito.

"I'm certain. From a guide I received just last week, the chances of getting those loots are around 0.01%. Basically, I haven't gotten a single custom order with those kinds of goods. To have at least ten of them in just a single week for one order is downright borderline impossible." Kirito just shook his head in amusement, dropping his calm façade for a moment.

"Haha…that's what everyone says when it comes to that idiot. There's a lot of things that he can do…that almost no one can. Otherwise…he wouldn't be the **Dark Flash** that I know." Ashley's eyes widened in recognition, immediately understanding Kirito's message. That gaki was the **Kokuei Senkou** **(The Dark Flash)**. And if he was **The Dark Flash**, that meant that –

"He's **The Duelist**?! But he's so small!" Kirito chuckled lightly, agreeing mentally. However, he knew not to say anything about Naruto's physical stature in front of him; height was a bit of touchy subject with the blonde, almost as bad as disagreeing with the blonde on ramen.

"Look underneath the underneath. That's what he taught me. No one looks for anything beyond the fourteen year old blonde with an expensive and powerful sword with random gear that is surprisingly powerful. Then again, that's probably mainly because he's the only one with that kind of gear. However…although he may be fast and strong, I'd say that his strongest asset is…"

Ashley gulped. If there was something that made the blonde stronger than he already was, he would be almost a monster. His speed was extraordinary at this point of the game. The max stat for each of the basic stats: **Strength**, **Defense**, **Agility**, **Intelligence**, and **Luck** were 1000. If any of the basic stats reached the maximum point, an extremely rare item could help continue to grow in that area.

That's getting off topic; that item won't appear until at least the **Fiftieth Floor**. To make the point clear, Naruto was a speed demon. With the **Agility** at maximum, a person could move at the speed of sound! People managed to record his battles during boss battles, and it was mind boggling. He literally was a flash! It was calculated that his speed was around a ridiculous 34 meters a second, meaning that he had to have his **Agility** to be around **400** to go that fast.

And that wasn't the scariest part about the blonde. The fact that he had strength behind many of his attacks only made him that much more powerful. The game applied real world physics into the **Sword Skills** and normal attacks. The idea of velocity and acceleration were also applied. If a person is moving much faster…then he must have much more momentum as a result. That meant that if Naruto moved at that speed with a certain amount of strength, than his attacks would deal a larger amount of damage just because of his speed being factored into the equation.

So, when Ashley heard that there was something even more spectacular and noteworthy about the blonde made her question. What could it possibly be? Basic stats and strength made or broke players. The blonde gaki had obviously applied all of his stat points to **Agility**, letting the rest of his basic stats to grow by both level and natural increase by training. So…what could it be? After a moment of deep though and coming up blank, Kirito leaned in and finished his assessment of his blonde friend.

"…his mind."

"What? Are you telling me he put points in his **Intelligence**? You yourself called him an idiot." Kirito shook his head, but was smiling the whole time.

"In common sense, he may be stupid at times. But in pre-battle planning and thinking things up in the heat of battle within a second, I'd say that he has the most analytical and critical mind of all of the people I have met. You know the game chess, right?"

Ashley nodded her head, but didn't know where this conversation was headed towards. Kirito turned around and faced the door where Naruto had just left moments before.

"Out of the 137 games I've played against him…"

Kirito frowned before he continued, slightly pissed off at the fact he was about to say next.

"…I've never won once."

**XShuyaX**

"What took you so long?" Naruto asked. Kirito was walking towards the blonde, strolling at a sedate pace through the path. It was shaded and calm in this forest, especially during the afternoon.

"Not much. I was just catching up with her. I meet with her once a week." Naruto turned his head to Kiritio with a questioning face.

"Why would you meet her once a week? Is it because of - "

"No. However, I won't deny it that she is extremely beautiful. She is around five feet four inches, which is about the same height as you, Naruto. A perfect hourglass figure. Long legs with pale skin. Heart shaped face. Body, hip, and breast measurements of - "

Naruto began to shake his head and cut Kirito off before he could continue.

"Kirito, what the heck? Are you checking her out or something?" The two boys continued to walk on the path calmly, although slightly faster now.

"Not like you weren't when you first saw her."

"So you're not denying that fact that you think she's hotter than Asuna?" Kirito turned and lightly glared at Naruto.

"That was cheap, Naruto. And what about Silica, hmm?" Naruto's cheeks turned slightly pink.

"I-I don't like her! Not at all!" Kirito smiled slightly sadistically, finally getting some blackmail material against Naruto.

"I never said anything about liking Silica." Naruto's face turned from light pink to red in a moment. He cursed himself mentally and slumped his shoulders, but continued to walk at the same pace as Kirito.

"That doesn't explain how you know all those things about Ashley though, Kirito." Naruto said, trying to get back at his friend.

"She told me herself as he checked my measurements." Naruto stopped walking at this and just stood still as Kirito continued to walk. After a few seconds, Kirito realized that Naruto wasn't following and turned around.

"What's up?" Naruto's just stood still as he responded.

"She didn't get my measurements," he muttered barely loud enough for Kirito to hear. Kirito waved it off and began to walk again.

"It's fine. She didn't master her **Sewing **skill when I first met her, so she had to measure me. When she mastered it, she can look at someone and get their measurements." At this, Naruto grinned. Payback time. No one gets blackmail material against Naruto unless he has some himself.

"That means she got up all close and personal with you, right? I'm certain she flirted with you when you were getting 'measured', since she seemed so chummy and nice to you. So…how was that 'experience'?" Naruto asked, emphasizing the 'experience' in his question. Kirito continued to walk with his back turned to Naruto, but his face was burning up with embarrassment.

"Not the time, Naruto. We have to go to the blacksmith. She's probably the best in the game around now," Kirito said in a monotone, but Naruto heard a slight undercurrent of embarrassment in the response. His grin widened as he continued to walk, now relaxed and his hands behind his head, whistling a sporty tune.

_Jackpot! No one gets the drop on me! Nobody, 'ttebayo!'_

**XShuyaX**

(Location: Blacksmith)

Naruto and Kirito opened the door, letting some light filter into the somewhat darker room. It was afternoon and the sun was setting over the buildings, creating a long shadow throughout the streets of the town. A cool waft of air shifted into the room, cooling down the young blacksmith working hard, slamming her hammer against a sword.

"Excuse us!" Kirito and Naruto said in unison, but it wasn't really needed. There was already a line inside of the building. Around fifteen people were in the building, all standing in line. Naruto leaned over to whisper in Kirito's ear.

"Are there usually this many people?" Kirito kept his eyes straight but twisted his mouth in a strange way so that only Naruto could hear.

"No…there was only around twelve last week." Naruto sweatdropped and sighed. Of course Kirito had to bring up statistics.

"Isn't that basically around the same amount of people?" Naruto asked again, although this time slightly irritated. Kirito shook his head, as if talking to a young boy in preschool.

"No. That's three more."

"…" Naruto stayed silent, clenching his fist. He took a deep breath to calm himself and closed his eyes. Just this once, he would let Kirito go without saying anything back. If he said anything right now, it would probably turn into an argument that could possibly kick them out of the establishment.

Naruto reopened his eyes and glanced around the somewhat large establishment. It was around 1,000 square feet, which implied the fact that blacksmith was well known and most likely had a house. Most players that worked only had a small shop or a vendor, so having a shop inside of a building with a decent amount of space meant multiple things, although not very important to surviving the game.

Continuing to look around, Naruto spied some decent swords and weapons, armors, and even rings! That was a surprise. If the blacksmith was able to create rings…she was also pretty high leveled as well in her skill, although most likely not as high as Ashley. Most likely, the blacksmith had some way to go before mastering her skill.

The line moved forwards, shuffling a few steps. Naruto and Kirito moved in kind, taking a few short steps and standing still afterwards. Naruto sighed and began to pout from boredom.

"Kirito…how do you wait for so long?"

"It's only been five minutes, Naruto. It isn't that bad. Besides, I'm wearing a hood just to conceal myself from the crowd, so don't complain. I'm sweating a lot, especially since the room is quite hot and humid as well."

"But that means we'll have to wait about an hour, Kirito." The blonde complained silently, the complaint only audible to his hooded friend. Although it annoyed Kirito, and slightly Naruto as well, they both knew that having a **Beater** in an establishment was a no-go.

"That means I have to suffer for an hour in this heat as well."

Naruto sighed in defeat. He began to spin and look around the room again, trying to catch some small details that he missed from his first perusal of the room. Eventually, he got so bored that he began to play "I Spy" against himself.

"I spy…a sword. Well…a green sword. I found it. Haha, I'm a genius…what the hell am I doing?" Naruto clutched his hair in his balled fists. Doing something was better than doing nothing. Finally, the two boys' turns after a little over an hour.

A smiling, perky girl of around fourteen with pink hair smiled up at the two boys as they came up to the counter. She wasn't tall, but she was the same height as the boys since they were still going through puberty. The blacksmith was clad in an apron and had a heavy anvil hammer in her right hand. Freckles adorned her smiling face, her brown eyes filled with exuberance and happiness.

"How may I help you two today?" Kirito leaned closer to the girl. Naruto was slightly surprised to note that the girl didn't find it strange at all that a possible stranger was moving in on her. Maybe she was used to it?

_Maybe that's how people make orders to not gain the attention of other players…that sounds more reasonable, especially if it's between Kirito and me._

"Oh, it's you Kirito," the girl said softly. Kirito nodded, his hood ruffling slightly with the motion to emphasis the nod. She turned slightly to face Naruto. She gave him a once over as she narrowed her eyes, as if checking for anything strange in the blonde. After a moment, she nodded her head in consent and smile again.

"I need you to do this guy a favor. He hasn't gone to blacksmith in a while and needs either an upgrade or a completely new sword. Can you do that within a few minutes?" The blacksmith, who Naruto noted was named Lisbeth from the tag on her apron near her right breast, nodded seriously.

"Of course I can. I'm the best blacksmith around, and you know I always like a good challenge. Haven't had one in a while, you know?" Kirito, whose face was hidden inside of his hood, just nodded again calmly. He turned his head over to Naruto and nodded. Naruto swiped his finger downwards through the air and opened his menu, navigating through the choices before opening a trading menu for the second time that day.

"I need the best sword you can make me with the most possible upgrades," Naruto said seriously. Lisbeth nodded, but her eyes widened when she saw the items he had traded in. She was about to shriek in excitement and surprise before Naruto moved in front of her quickly and clamped his hand over her mouth to silence her. His eyes fixed onto hers and they stayed there for a moment, staring at each other.

"Hey, what are you two doing? There's still a line. Do that on your spare time or something!" One of the players yelled out in annoyance. A few players chimed in with their own complaints and grumbles. Naruto ignored them and continued to stare, although he did notice his hand feeling slightly hotter.

_I guess that she's embarrassed. I'll let her go…for now. Hopefully, she doesn't gather any bad attention to me and Kirito._

He dropped his hand and leaned back from the counter until he was next to Kirito again.

"I don't need any bad blood between the players and me. I just want the job done quickly so that I can go back out in the **Dungeon** and farm. Also, can you make me a ring with some of those items? I would appreciate it if it was more **Agility** oriented." Lisbeth, still wide-eyed, just nodded her head mechanically as she accepted all of the goods and placed them on a table.

When she walked a few feet away and prepared to strike, Naruto leaned over to Kirito and began to strike a conversation.

"What are the chances that she fails? I've never heard of her before." Kirito leaned over to the side slightly so that he was right next to Naruto.

"Almost zero percent of failing. I'm surprised you didn't hear of her before. Like she said, she is currently the best blacksmith around, and by a countable margin. Also, with your **Luck**, I really doubt that her creation will fail." Naruto nodded his head in consent before another question popped into his mind.

"Hey. I remember that some players had almost the same amount of **Luck** as me a while back, but they failed. Well…by almost, I mean around a fifty stat difference, but you know what I mean." Kirito nodded. Naruto still had the highest **Luck** stat in the game and would most likely hold it until it ended. Second place in that category was probably a generous amount behind, most likely over seventy by now. Naturally increasing any basic stat by five every time someone leveled does not apply to **Strength**, **Defense**, or **Agility**, but it can apply to **Luck **and **Intelligence**. However the latter two are based on actual intelligence and literally luck to get that kind of growth.

"Remember how I said this is an RPG before an MMO? Higher numbers can make people invincible. Although in the beginning of the game, a difference of ten in **Strength **won't make that much a difference in damage output, that same difference at a much higher level or floor in the game could result in a significant difference. Like all other RPG's, this game has every player go through a kind of exponential growth. There are multiple reasons for this, but I'll just give you the main one. It takes longer to level up when you are higher leveled. Because of this, when you level up when, let's say **Level 70**, would be a lot more rewarding than leveling up at **Level 30**. So, a player with a **Strength **of, let's say 300, is more likely around ten times stronger than a player with 150 **Strength**. Understand?"

Naruto nodded and straightened his body to go back to his position, Kirito doing the same. The sounds of the hammer slamming against metal pierced loudly throughout the room, making some players flinch from the noise. However, Kirito and Naruto were hearing it for an hour, so they were used to it already…or losing their hearing. They both hoped it was the former.

With a final strike, Lisbeth placed the hammer on the table and wiped the sweat off of her brow. Giving out a heavy breath from slight exhaustion from striking the metal over and over again to create and upgrade the new sword, she bent over slightly to catch her breath, her hands on the edge of the table. She could have upgraded the sword the blonde gave her, but when she saw the materials he brought, she immediately knew that if she created the weapon, it would be much more powerful than the sword he brought.

But seriously? How does someone come across those kinds of items on this floor? The rarity of those items was ridiculous! She had only seen a few of them ten times from all of the players, but the amount he brought was eight by himself! And then he brought other crafting materials that she had never seen before, even if it was only one for each of them. Kirito didn't lie when he said that his friend had some serious **Luck**.

Having regained her breath, Lisbeth stood up and moved over to the new sword. It was completely black with extremely sharp edges, the length two feet and seven inches, making it one of the longer swords. The hilt was made with a strange design; it was completely vertical and made a semi circle, almost like a rapier's hilt. The grip of the blade was large enough for a person to hold it with two hands. Strangely, it was wrapped over in bandages on the grip of the blade. A small chain dangled on the pommel, the end carrying a small, black orb. **Solace in Darkness**.

_Interesting name. What are its stats?_

She pressed the small icon that hovered over the blade. Her eyes immediately shot wide open in surprise.

In order to understand why Lisbeth was so surprised by the **+11** on the weapon, an explanation is a requirement. Although +**11**'s aren't exactly rare, they are difficult to find. Understand that this explanation only applies to weapons. A +**1** in speed on a sword can be different between two swords based on their composition and rarity. The material that Naruto had given her was some of the rarest, if not the rarest materials, in the game seen so far. So, a +**1 **in **Agility **in a basic weapon would most likely increase that player's **Agility** by just that: one. However, because Naruto's new sword was a much higher level made of rarer items, a +**1 **in the same stat could make a difference of as much as four! That doesn't sound like very much, but every number on the sword made a difference. Because he wanted the blade to be speed oriented, she had focused on making the blade almost completely **Agility **based, with only two stats for **Strength** included. So, his sword would increase his **Agility **by 36 and his **Strength** by 8!

Confused? That is understandable, since most players don't get it either the first time. It took Naruto one explanation, but that was only because he had read about it before and also because he was quite smart. Kirito took two explanations. Asuna and Silica had taken over five repetitious explanations to finally understand the concept of upgrading the sword. All other gear, such as armor, clothing, boots, etc., their numbers are true and accurate. If a shirt says it increases the **Defense** of the players by **15**, then it increases it by only that number, no higher or lower. The same holds true for all other gear and equipment. Basically, the sword was a unique equipment.

Lisbeth shook her head. She still had customers; she could ask Kirito later her questions. With a swelling of pride in her newest and possibly greatest creation, Lisbeth picked up the sword and moved over to the counter, although she noted the fact that the sword was somewhat heavy. Placing it on the counter as lightly as possible, she looked up at the blonde and smiled triumphantly.

"Here's your product…" Lisbeth leaned over the counter. Naruto moved closer to hear was she was going to say, getting close enough so that her mouth was directly next to his ear. "…and it's **+11**." Naruto's eyes widened in shock, going through the same though process Lisbeth had only moments before. Then, a small grin made its way to his face, growing wider until it was a full blown smile. He leaned back and gave the girl a thumbs up.

"Thanks! You're the best!" Lisbeth smiled in return, also quite happy. If she had impressed the blonde, maybe he would become a regular. If he did, that would be great for her since he had some extremely rare items that wanted to experiment with the next time he came.

"I told you that already." She said playfully. Then, her smile widened as her next words came out. Kirito began to smirk, his facial expression still hidden in the shadows of his hood. He knew what was coming next.

"The total price would be 93,000 Col, please!" Naruto's smile dropped immediately as he blanched.

_93,000 Col? What…the hell?_

**XShuyaX**

(Location: Outside Lisbeth's Blacksmith)

"I still think I got ripped off." Kirito just laughed as Naruto grumbled, a slight sway to the blonde's steps.

"I was surprised the first time she said something like that, but it makes sense." Naruto turned around and glared at Kirito, his eyes narrow and piercing. Kirito jumped back slightly in surprise at the expression Naruto gave him, his arms creating an 'X' over his chest.

"How…is…this…not…getting…ripped…off?" Naruto said, emphasizing each word more vocally as he progressed. Kirito began to sweat lightly, but that could be the result of staying inside the hot room for over an hour and finally feeling the refreshing chill of the wind outside.

"Well…remember how we both had **Anneal Blades** on the **First Floor**? Someone was willing to buy it from me for over 40,000 Col. So, getting an extremely powerful sword like what you're holding currently for 93,000 Col is actually quite cheap compared to what you actually could have paid. However, I wouldn't be surprised if someone was willing to pay over 150,000 Col for your new sword if they saw it." Naruto turned around slowly before he began to caress his blade, making Kirito sweatdrop.

"Don't worry, baby. I'll never sell you." Kirito's sweatdrop expanded until it covered the whole back of his head. Naruto put the sword into his **Inventory**, the exquisite blade disappearing from sight. Naruto began to walk again, Kirito in tow.

"I seriously think you're an idiot sometimes."

"And you're a two-timing champ with a small thing downstairs." Naruto shot back without missing a beat. Kirito fumbled in his steps slightly, his face becoming beet red. He didn't dignify that with a response.

"…"

"Ah…the silent treatment, hmm? It's too bad that I'm so used to it from you that I can pretty much read your thoughts now."

"…"

"Of course I can. And it's not completely stupid, Kirito. Believe me, it's not that hard with you now. I'm pretty sure I can understand almost every person that remains silent thanks to you."

"…" Naruto crossed his arms across his chest as he continued to walk, turning right at a corner.

"I'm just saying that you're extremely predictable now to me. OK, fine. You don't like Ashley, but you didn't say that she wasn't hot. Hey, I'll even say that she was the most beautiful girl…er…woman that I've ever _met_."

"…"

"Of course you were just catching up. OK, fine, you were 'catching up'. I'll just tell that to Asuna and - "

Kirito flashed in front of Naruto and grabbed both of his shoulders in a firm grip. He leveled his gaze on the blonde's deep blue eyes and fixated his own coal colored eyes on his friend's.

"Not…a…word. Understood?" Naruto smirked.

"Of course, Kirito."

Kirito glared into Naruto's eyes for a moment, the blonde's own eyes filled with mirth. After a few seconds, the now hooded swordsman just sighed and dropped his arms from Naruto's shoulders and turned around to keep walking. Naruto joined Kirito's side, and together, they walked through multiple restaurants, NPC shops, vendors, stores, and inns.

After about thirty minutes of meandering through the streets, the two boys received a message at the same time from Asuna.

***You have received a message from Asuna***

In sync, both boys opened it and perused it at the same time, and somehow closed it at the same time. Even stranger was the fact that they both turned to face each other in complete sync and nodded their heads, as if understanding what the other was thinking.

Multiple bystanders just stared at the two and sweatdropped.

_Some strange kids these days, acting as if they are telepathic._

**XShuyaX**

(Location: Entrance to Boss Room)

Naruto and Kirito walked over to the large group waiting in front of the boss room. Kirito had changed his clothes. He removed his hooded cloth after receiving the message and was now wearing his long black coat with black pants and a silky black shirt.

Naruto was now wearing a white jacket with dark blue pants. His shirt under the jacket was a dark orange with a circular flame decoration in the center of the chest area.

The two walked side by side, their boots resounding throughout the somewhat narrow hall before the gargantuan door. All of the clearers turned to see who their last two players were that were joining them. Immediately, some of them began to sneer at Kirito. However, seeing Naruto next to them made them to make questioning glances, although many of them gave Naruto approving glances due to his reputation and skill.

The two joined the large mass of players and looked around, spotting Asuna and Silica standing together near the edge of the crowd. They quickly maneuvered their way over to the girls, easily going through the crowd with ease. Both of the boys noticed that the girls didn't recognize that they were there yet. Naruto smirked as he ended up right behind Silica and moved his hands closer to her.

"BOO!" Naruto yelled silently in her ear, one hand going to her sides to tickle her and the other patting her head. Silica jumped up in surprise, shrieking in slight fright from the unexpected action, and then laughing. Many of the players turned to to see what the commotion was about, but they all just chuckled when they saw who the cause of it was. The blonde had never taken boss battles seriously before it began, always trying to make the players feel light-hearted and calm before the battle actually began.

Silica turned around and glared at Naruto, whose hands were back at his sides. He just smiled widely and waved at her.

"Hey Silica-chan!" Silica pouted, but then she smiled.

"Hi Naruto. How was your visit to the shops?" Naruto immediately deadpanned when he saw Silica with stars in her eyes.

"Silica…it's not shopping. Besides, I don't like shopping…especially with unsocial sloths." Kirito walked next to Asuna and handed her a pastry, which she gladly accepted and began to eat.

"I resent that Naruto. I'm not a sloth." Silica and Asuna giggled at the boy's small banter. They knew that they had a decent time together. Despite the fact that Kirito may seem silent and calm, around Naruto, he was generally a little more lively and talkative.

Naruto smiled again before he frowned, taking on a serious expression.

"So…another boss battle." The three immediately took on a similar expression of seriousness. On the **Eighteenth Floor** boss battle, three people had died as a result of carelessness on their parts. However, even with that in mind, it felt like a flimsy excuse. What if's kept running through their minds that day until Naruto reminded them of the fact that all they have to do is make sure someone doesn't die again.

Although it did bring up their spirits, it didn't take out a terrifying thought from each of their minds. The three deaths could have possibly been any of the three in their group if they were careless, even for a moment, which would leave one alone.

The leader of the clearing group droned on with his speech, but Naruto wasn't listening this time, and neither was any of the others in his group. Silica and Asuna were staring intently at the door that would open to show the boss, their eyes gleaming in determination. Kirito was standing side by side with Naruto, his hand over his sword as he fingered the hilt.

"Let's go!" The massive door opened, the double doors opening wide enough for ten people to run in at a time. Naruto, Kirito, Asuna, and Silica all walked in calmly in the back of the charging clearing group, preparing themselves mentally for battle. It would only last around twenty minutes, but every second mattered. A single moment…can define whether a person lives or not.

Naruto opened his inventory and took out his new blade, **Solace in Darkness**. He took an experimental swing, leaving a black streak behind the swing. The blonde was pleased to note that the weight was perfect for his standards: slightly heavy, but still able to be swung quickly. Then, he twirled it once over his head and placed the obsidian blade on his back, content feeling the weight on his shoulders.

At that moment, the boss and its minions flashed into the room.

**Alice, The Fallen Angel**. A beautiful woman with wings gracefully stayed in midair, the pair of long wings flapping slowly. She was around five feet six inches, wearing a white tunic that cut off at her belly and began again at her waist, going down to her feet. Her hair was blonde with white tinges at the edges, although it didn't seem to be from age. Then, she opened her eyes, which every player noted was an alluring green.

Then, the minions flashed in, a stark difference from the graceful, floating angel. Nearly a hundred flaming bears flashed into the room, roaring and growling loudly at the clearers. Each of their eyes were glowing a different color. Kirito quickly noted that many of them had different structures, meaning that the bears had diverse abilities.

The angel slowly brought her right hand up…and then pointed it straight at the middle of the clearers. A concentration of light circled around her index finger, charging up as it became brighter and brighter, eventually forcing the clearers to look away. Naruto had his arms over his eyes, but he felt something…almost like chakra charging up on the finger.

_A RANGED ATTACK?!_

Naruto pumped chakra to his feet, noting the rapidly decreasing pool of chakra in his control. However, he had to make it. No one was dying today. Because that was his promise!

"TAKE THIS, 'TTEABAYO!"

A beam of light erupted from the delicate finger, accelerating towards the players with terrifying velocity. However, the players were still blinded from the light. It was a few inches from piercing the first player until…

…a player flashed in front of the cowering player with his sword giving off an extremely black hue, darkness seemingly seeping out of the blade in tendrils. The player's white jacket shifted and flapped lightly from the sudden movement. His sword was near the floor, indicating a completed downwards strike. The blonde spikes swayed from side to side until the player stood up.

Naruto turned his head up and glared at the angel, whose face remained as peaceful and calm as ever.

_If you're light…_

Naruto glanced down at his sword, the blade completely covered by darkness and energy releasing itself from the weapon. He glared up at the angel again as he narrowed his eyes.

…_then I'll be darkness!_

Four bars of health appeared next to the boss. This seemed to be the "bell" for the start of the fight, the flaming bears charging towards the players on all fours. Naruto took a quick glance at his health and chakra pool.

_48% __**HP**__. 98% chakra left. Damn…just blocking that one beam took 50% of my health! Just using a short burst took that much…I really have to control my chakra use._

"Charge!" The leader of the clearers yelled out. The eighty-seven clearers roared in response, their legs coming to life as they ran towards their opposing group. Anything standing in their way to the next floor, to the top of the castle…to home…was nothing but an obstruction in their way. And obstructions had to be run over without mercy.

Naruto, Asuna, and Kirito were in the front of the charging group since they had the most **Agility** and speed. As the opposing miniature armies came closer and closer together, time seemed to slow down for Naruto. His sights weren't in front of him but what was ahead…the ever graceful angel in the air.

Right before the two armies clashed, Naruto raised his sword over his shoulder as it began to give off a heavy amount of darkness, almost making the room seem darker.

Five feet away. Naruto began to twirl his sword behind him as he suddenly stopped running and stayed still.

Four feet away. The bear in front of Naruto stood on its hind legs, standing tall and bringing its "arm" up for a heavy swipe at the blonde.

Three feet. The bear took one more step, effectively closing the distance enough to take an effective claw swipe. Naruto's blade twirled once more.

Two feet. The arm was already in mid-swing, a blur of movement and flames behind the arm.

One feet. As the claws came into clear view, it's edge shining in the light, Naruto continued to stare at the angel. He had finished his preparation for his strongest **Sword Skill**.

One inch. The claw was about to pierce Naruto's head and take out a large chunk of his health if it landed. Naruto didn't bat an eyelash as the claw touched a swaying strange of hair.

_NOW!_

Naruto exploded into motion, suddenly disappearing. The claw strike clearly missed the blonde, its swipe going to clearly empty air. Before it could recover from its overextension and wonder where the blonde had gone, it roared in pain and shattered into polygons, as did the five bears behind it as a tall trail of black flames appeared, shattering blue polygons flying up, seemingly dancing with the flames. Naruto twirled his blade once more in front of him behind he placed it over his shoulder, effectively ending the attack.

_**Zantetsuken**__!_

The frozen period prevented Naruto from moving, but all the sentinels were already in a heated battle with the players, already losing the number game since Naruto had already taken out six within the blink of an eye. Naruto glared up at the angel as **Alice** calmly stared at him, her face continuing to remain completely stoic.

"I don't know why you have a ranged ability but…" The frozen period ended. Naruto blurred from existence, suddenly appearing directly in front of the angel with his sword in mid swing.

"…BUT YOU'RE IN THE WAY!" The angel flapped her wings forcefully, rising high into the air. The suddenly movement cause Naruto to barely miss his swing, the blade going right below the beautiful angel's toes.

Naruto twirled and flipped in midair, barely managing to land on his feet on the floor. Skidding on the floor, Naruto whipped his head up to look for the boss. She was floating near the ceiling, her wings spread out in all its glory, her finger pointed at him. Naruto widened his eyes and jumped away from his current position as quickly as possible.

Just a moment later, a beam of light crashed on the ground, picking up dust and creating a torrential wind. Naruto threw his left arm over his eyes as the dust flew aimlessly throughout the room. As soon as the attack ended, Naruto looked up to locate the boss again.

_It was around ten seconds…does she have a cooldown time of ten seconds for that ranged attack? Is that all she can do though?_

Thoughts and plans raced through Naruto's mind as he looked around the room. About a second later, he found the angel near the corner of the room, staring at him. Naruto turned around for a moment. The players were taking care of the bears, easily dodging their swipes and switching quickly to confuse and effectively take care of the sentinels. Glancing furtively through the spread the battle, Naruto gained eye contact with Asuna and Kirito for only a moment, but they caught it. The two jumped back and slammed into the bear at the same time, slashing and stabbing repeatedly, taking care of the sentinel barring the way.

They ran over to his side in two seconds, both of them staring at the boss. Naruto didn't waste a moment.

"I'm going to throw you both. Both of you have two chances to hit her. I need a running start, so keep up!" Naruto threw his sword into his **Inventory** and grabbed onto the wrist of both Asuna and Kirito. As soon as he had a solid grip, they began to sprint forwards. When Naruto felt that they had enough speed, he tilted his gravity until he was leaning towards Asuna, his right arm straight.

"IKKEEEEE!" Kirito jumped off of the ground as Naruto strengthened his right arm and threw Kirito into the air, making him rocket towards the angel. Immediately afterwards, Naruto and Asuna both jumped into the air in sync, and Naruto began to spin quickly with Asuna in tow, his body glowing white as he used **Horizontal** on himself to spin faster.

"AND HERE'S TWO!" Naruto yelled in exertion as he let go of Asuna, her body becoming a meteor, speeding towards the floating angel. Kirito's sword glowed red as he struck horizontally towards the angel, speeding towards her. She flapped her wings with enough force to create a gust of wind, once again barely dodging the impending attack. Kirito twirled and landed against the wall on his feet, bending his knees and pressing the balls of his feet against the solid surface.

Asuna closed towards the boss, her rapier glowing green, preparing to jab tens of times. Once again, the angel flapped her wings to dodge in midair, but Asuna managed to land two hits, both of them piercing the wings. For the first time, the angel made an emotion. She winced, one of her eyes closing in pain as she winced, slightly faltering in the air before regaining her composure.

Kirito exploded off the wall and flew forwards, trying to take advantage of the small pocket of time that the angel stayed still in the air. He slashed once, landing a clean slash on the base of a wing, but the wing did not fall off or break. He flipped once and twisted his body so that he was facing the boss when he dropped to the floor and ski across the ground.

Naruto sprinted and pumped a small amount of chakra to momentarily increase his speed and jumping power. The moment Asuna went off the wall towards the boss, Naruto went into the air, aiming for the location right above the angel's head. Asuna was going lower because she was a rapier user, which Naruto knew, so he took advantage of that fact. When they closed in, the angel had no place to go, so she upwards as a natural reaction. Naruto slashed upwards from the base of her hip to her neck and backflipped quickly. Knowing that she would be in the same place from the pain, he didn't need to look for where her hand was when he was upside down and grabbed onto her wrist and threw her as hard as he could to the ground, the reverse momentum making it go up to the ceiling.

The angel crashed on the ground as Naruto landed on the ceiling upside down. Kirito and Asuna immediately capitalized on the downed boss, using **Sword Skills** to deal as much damage as possible within the period of time before the boss got back. Naruto bent his knees and pushed off the ceiling, coming downwards with extraordinary velocity, his **Solace in Darkness** once again his hand, twirling behind his back.

_**Zantetsuken**__!_

Naruto disappeared before reappearing in front of the boss who was just getting up, slashing across her chest and ending up right behind her. Like before, a dark trail of flames appeared, some of the embers flickering on the boss's form. The blonde turned around and as one, the three players glanced at the angel's health.

_56%_.

Naruto narrowed his eyes as he stared at his own health bar.

_26%. Kami, this is one dangerous game. I can't use any __**Sword Skills**__ for a while. _

Naruto looked past the angel and noticed that most of the bear sentinels had been defeated and that the player were congregating behind Kirito and Asuna to help defeat the boss. Naruto returned his gaze on the boss's form, who was bent over and panting slightly, her arm over her chest. Naruto took out two **Potions **from his **Quick Slot** and broke it to bring up his **Health Points**.

_Almost like a human…but she's not._

Naruto narrowed his eyes in determination and gripped the hilt of his weapon.

_But why the hell would Kayaba Akihiko take away __**Throwing Skills**__ if he decided to give us an airborne boss?!_

The angel's wings fluttered and spread wide again, but Naruto dashed in and slashed her across the back, making the angel scream out in pain as she arched her back. He slashed again horizontally through the waist before jumping back, noticing a flicker of light on the palm of her hand. Before she could turn around and use the heavy, long ranged light beam on Naruto, Kirito jumped in front of the boss and used **Horizontal Square**, effectively preventing the boss from attacking. Asuna switched, and from then on, it was a one-sided massacre. **Alice **had only one ranged attack and no actual defense or physical attacks. If it had landed in the beginning of the battle, there may have been a large problem.

The players continued to switch over and over, landing **Sword Skill** after **Sword Skill** on the helpless boss, her figure becoming more frail and pitiful by the moment. Naruto prepared his strongest attack once more as a player jumped back, blurring behind the boss and slashing her through the stomach.

When he turned around, he cringed inwardly when he saw the completely human expression on the girl's face. Pain. Anger. Loss. Sorrow. A multitude of expressions flashed through her face as she began to shatter and disappear into the polygons. Naruto tightened the grip on his weapon and grit his teeth.

_She's not human! Get over it! Kayaba is doing this as a cheap shot, as a ruse to make us feel bad, and he'll do it again to make us hesitate and die!_

***Congratulations! You have defeated Alice, The Fallen Angel!***

***Congratulations! You have leveled up!***

***Congratulations! You got the Last Attack Bonus! You have obtained Fallen Angel's Feather!***

Naruto removed his weapon and placed it once again into his **Inventory** and walked over to Kirito and Asuna, both of them panting. The rest of the clearers were cheering and whooping as they always did after every boss battle. They lived through another boss battle to make it one step cloer to home, and if they keep taking these small steps, they would eventually see their families again.

"Are you two alright?" Naruto asked, slightly worried. Silica ran over to Asuna from behind and patted Asuna's back as the chestnut-haired girl continued to pant.

Kirito and Asuna looked up as one and glared at Naruto.

"What the hell was with that plan!" They said in unison. Naruto smiled cheekily and gave a thumbs up in response.

"It seems that you two are alright! I'm going to go open the door then…eventually." Kirito and Asuna both grumbled and said something along the lines of 'more like never.' Silica came over to Naruto and smiled at him before grabbing onto his wrist and pulling him to the door that lead to the next floor, the **Twentieth Floor**. Naruto just went along, content to be dragged on the floor, feeling the urge to be lazy and stare at clouds for some odd reason.

Silica dropped him on his ass when the two were in front of the door. Naruto stood up and patted his pants to get rid of the dust and pushed him palm against the large door, the entrance creaking open as the dark abyss opened, a mist in the air obscuring the vision of the players.

Naruto, however, walked forwards without reserve and calmly took his steps into the darkness, actually feeling with one with the darkness for once.

_Heh…__**Solace in Darkness**__, huh?_

A pair of footsteps tapped lightly behind him, which he immediately knew was Silica. After a minute of walking, the two reached the central plaza of the town. The two were immediately surprised by the surroundings.

Unlike the previous floors where the town and surroundings were more medieval, the **Twentieth Floor** seemed to be more of a break floor. All around was nature and mountains, valleys and rivers. Many small streams went through the town, traditional wooden bridges arched above the streams as a way of passage. The **Second Floor** had nature and beautiful landscapes, but it was in small comparison to the **Twentieth Floor**.

Silica grabbed Naruto's wrist and pulled him, dragging him around the new town. Naruto just went along, or in his mind –

_Just going with the flow. She can do what she wants._

When they reached an alleyway, Naruto sweatdropped. She pulled him in, the darkness making it slightly difficult to see. However, both of them were used to the alleyways since they had already memorized the layout of every one. A stack of crates on the left side of the alley. A window on the right side from a building. Naruto walked over the left side and leaned against the wall.

"So…what did you want to talk about?" Silica just stood at the entrance of the alleyway. Then she moved over to Naruto and punched him once on the stomach, and then twice. Naruto winced, but stayed silent. When a girl went on one her of her fits, don't say anything. Just let them let it out, and you won't be beat even more. Well…at least that's what he learned from when his godfather got beaten up by his baa-chan, but that was because he was just being perverted and couldn't hold his mouth.

"Baka…you're such a baka!" Silica yelled as she looked at Naruto's face. He was somewhat surprised to see so much worry etched on her face. What had he done to make her so scared? "How could you let yourself get so low on **HP**? I'm still in your party, so I can see it, and it was getting lower and lower. And when I saw that you weren't healing, I got really worried! Why did you let it go down to 26%?" Naruto cringed inwardly.

_That was a stupid mistake. I knew I shouldn't have let myself get so low._

"I'm sorry to make you worry, but I was fine. I knew what I was doing." Silica shut him up by punching him harder on the stomach.

"Shut up! I saw how much your health went down when you blocked the light attack from the boss. If you got directly hit by even one, you would've died! If Kirito didn't prevent the boss from turning on you at the last second, you could've been hit! Are you a hypocrite? You tell me to take care of myself to prevent myself from dying and you carelessly let yourself get that low!" She was screaming now, banging her fists against his chest repeatedly. Naruto just stared down at her, silent.

_Am I being a hypocrite? Maybe I was getting cocky because there had been almost no deaths in boss battles. Maybe I felt that I was becoming invincible, and subconsciously wanted to feel the thrill of battle with my life on the line. That was stupid. When I went down to 48% and hit the yellow, I should've healed myself immediately. That's what I would've done on the first ten floors, so what happened?_

Naruto grabbed one of the small fists right before it hit him again. He crouched down to Silica's level and smiled at her.

"I'm sorry if I made you worry. I'm a hypocrite. I won't do it again. I promise, and I don't break my promises." Silica stared at him for a moment before tears started to well up in her eyes. Then, she jumped forwards and threw her arms around his neck and began to sob lightly. Naruto was surprised by the action.

_She was that worried about me?_ _Geez…I feel like an asshole now._

They stayed still in that position for a minute; Naruto remained still with his knees bent and his back against the wall, his body supporting Silica who was hugging Naruto as if he were her lifeline.

"Silica. We should go now." Silence responded.

"…Silica? We really should get going now."

"…"

"Silica?" Naruto pushed the young girl back slightly to check on her. He looked at her face and smiled lightly when he saw it. Her eyes were closed and her mouth was open slightly in a childish expression. She was sleeping. In a word to describe her, she looked peaceful.

Naruto got up and placed on her his back, giving her a piggy-back ride. He wrapped his arms under her legs snugly and bent over so that her arms were wrapped around his neck like a scarf and her chin resting in the crook of his neck.

"Up we go. Let's get you over to Asuna so that I can sleep, too."

His response was steady, light breathing against his neck. Naruto smiled and looked up at the night sky and noticed the stars were out with no clouds.

It was a full moon.

**XShuyaX**

(Location: 25th Floor)

_**May 29**__**th**__**, 2026**_

The smell of a heavenly meal wafted out of the kitchen and throughout the house. The smell of roasted chicken, well-done steak, ramen, and many other cooked delights spread through the house.

Kirito was sitting in a LazyBoy chair, intently flipping through a guidebook. He wanted to gain as much information as possible within a short period of time before tomorrow, the boss on the 25th floor. It was common knowledge that every 25th floor, the boss would be much more difficult, similar to the Quarter Quell in the Hunger Games. However, the question of how much more difficult remained at large, since the beta testers had never gone above the **Twentieth Floor**.

Naruto was lying on his back on a long couch, resting with his arm over his eyes. He had wanted to help the girls since he knew how to cook, but the two girls declined his offer and state that they wanted to cook by themselves to surprise the boys. The blonde took it in stride, although he was slightly put out that the girls wouldn't even let him step into the kitchen to take a small cup of ramen.

"Kirito, what do you think s going to happen tomorrow?" Kirito continued to read his guidebook before he finished the page. Then, he put his finger on the page to act as a bookmark and closed the book as he looked up.

"Honestly, I don't know. Every single boss battle had the same number of sentinels on the enemy forces. However, every 25th floor is an exception; anything can happen. But if I'm certain about one thing, this is going to be the hardest battle we're going to survive through." Naruto smiled in response, his arm still covering his eyes. Then, he moved his relaxing arm and opened his eyes. Swiping his hand downwards, he looked through his menu to review his character stats.

**Level: 43**

**Stats:**

**Points: 0**

**Strength: 111(+23)**

**Defense: 84(+50)**

**Agility: 250(+229)(+50)(+36)**

**Intelligence: 79(+13)**

**Luck: 230(+0)**

**Chakra Pool: 24251/?**

**Chakra Control: 1000/1000***

**Academy Chakra Control: 1000/1000***

**Genin Chakra Control: 1000/1000***

**Chunnin Chakra Control: 241/1000**

**Sword: 1000/1000***

**Original Sword: 200/1000**

**Dagger: 964/1000**

**Abilities:**

**Horizontal: 1000/1000***

**Horizontal Square: 933/1000**

**Slant: 1000/1000***

**Vertical: 1000/1000***

**Vertical Square: 1000/1000***

**Vorpal Strike: 27/1000**

**Original Skill: Circle Swords: 276/1000**

**Original Skill: Zantetsuken: 177/1000**

**Kawamiri no Jutsu: 1000/1000***

**Henge: 104/1000**

**Bunshin no Jutsu: 585/1000**

**Kage Bunshin no Jutsu: 1000/1000***

**Kage Bunshin Barrage: 298/1000**

**Tree Walking: 1000/1000***

**Water Walking: 1000/1000***

**Kunai Spin Chakra Control: 744/1000**

**Leaf Chakra Control: 831/1000**

**Dynamic Entry: 1000/1000***

**Morning Peacock: 38/1000**

**Leaf Whirlwind: 423/1000**

**A Lost Art: 23/?**

**Rasengan: 1000/1000***

**?: 372/1000**

**Chakra Manipulation: 900/1000**

**?: 0/1000**

**Special Abilites:**

**Points: 0**

**Hear My Roar: 9/18**

**Becoming the Flash: 34/50**

_My __**Agility**__ is definitely at the top, and I think I'm fast enough now; I'm moving around 37 meters every second when I sprint. I've trained as hard as I could in the last five floors for the past four weeks for today…but will it be enough? Kirito said that every 25 floors, the boss is always a few times harder than the other floor bosses. We've been able to take care of the floor bosses pretty easily with only a few numbers…but how about this one. Will it require the unified effort of over a hundred players against just one monster?_

Naruto kept his finger raised, lightly pressing against his menu screen. Then, he sighed and closed it. Having these thoughts wouldn't help at all. Besides, wasn't today supposed to be a relaxing night?

_But still, some of my stats are confusing me. The abilities that still have question marks have numbers that show progress. I don't know why my ability __**Lost Art **__increased with a question mark on the potential. I guess I kind of understand __**Original Sword**__, but it's really stupid. All of the higher-tier __**Sword Skills**__, even my __**Original Skills**__ are taking much longer to master. _

Naruto sighed again and closed his eyes. He wanted a few more minutes of rest, especially after a grueling day of training alongside his clones. He was snoring within seconds, despite the alluring smell of ramen continuously overloading his senses.

"Oof!" Naruto let out a grunt when some weight hit his stomach. He lifted his arm to clear his view and opened his eyes.

_H-heavy…_

The light blinded him for a moment before the glow disappeared. On top of his stomach was Silica. Naruto began to blush slightly. Her hair was down, her pigtails let down to her back. He idly thought that she was extremely cute with her hair down. She had her hands crossed over her chest as she leaned forwards toward Naruto's face with a glare.

"I've called you three times to tell you dinner is ready." Naruto chuckled sheepishly, scratching his cheek with a finger while eye-smiling.

"Maa maa…I was just tired." Silica let out a breath as she straightened her back and turned her head away.

"Sure. Next time you do that, I won't wake you up for dinner…and that means no ramen for you." Naruto immediately sat up and grabbed both of Silica's shoulders. She, surprised by the action, gave out a small 'eep' as she turned to face Naruto. His eyes were wide with sparkles in his eyes, a wide tear stream going down his cheeks.

"Please…don't do that to me, Silica-chan." Silica blushed inwardly at the close proximity of Naruto's face. However, her actions completely belied her thoughts. She put her palm on his face and pushed him away. Then, she got up and told him to join them at the table.

When Naruto got into the living room, Kirito and Asuna were already eating their respective meals. On the rectangular wooden table was a large array of food: pizza, steak, meat, vegetables, steaming soup, buttered bread, pastries, pork ramen, smoothies, and water.

_How are we going to finish this all?_

Kirito turned around at the sound of footsteps and saw Naruto at the entrance of the room. He waved him over with his elbow since his hands were busy with his finger foods. Naruto walked over and pulled out a chair next to Kirito, effectively making the boys sit on one side with the girls on the other side of the table. Naruto grabbed a bowl of ramen and began to eat in a ravenous manner, finishing one bowl and going to the next, and after all the ramen was finished, going to all the other foods just waiting to be eaten on the table. His question before eating was unnecessary; he would finish most of the meal by himself.

After the meal was complete, the party of four leaned back in their chair and gave out a content sigh. Naruto patted his belly and rubbed it, although it wasn't any larger than it was before the meal thanks to game mechanics.

"So Kirito," Asuna began, starting up a conversation. Kirito sat up and stretched out, one of his eyes closed, before focusing on Asuna. "What's going to happen tomorrow?" Kirito closed his eyes and brought his arms out to the side in a 'I don't know' gesture.

"Honestly, I have no idea. Every 25th floor boss is a wild card, a random draw in a way. Anything can happen."

Asuna shivered slightly at the implications.

"So…there can be a giant frog?" Kirito sniggered lightly at the ridiculous image, but stopped immediately when he saw the glare Asuna was giving him. He coughed once and responded.

"In chance, yes. In virtual reality, no pun intended, and the actual possibility of it happening, almost zero percent chance. It will most likely be much more difficult than just a few croaking toads." Naruto sighed as he got up from the table, already having this conversation with Kirito beforehand.

"I'm going to sleep. Goodnight." The three others at the table wished him a goodnight as we went back to his couch. However, when he closed his eyes and preparedto go to sleep, a strange foreboding feeling prevented him from going to sleep immediately.

_Why do I feel like something is going to happen tomorrow? Can't think about tomorrow. I'll think of what happens what it happens._

Naruto shook it off and eventually went to sleep.

**XShuyaX**

(Time Skip: Next day, Morning)

The massive double doors opened. The clearers ran in, but there was an underlying tension pressing down on every person. A few of them twitched at the slightest movement or sound. Even before the battle began, many of the clearers were sweating in a nervous fit. Anything could happen, meaning that anything could go wrong with this battle.

Inside, the room was different than all of the other boss rooms. Instead of a large clearing or hall, this time the room was a large, circular arena. When all fifty-eight clearers were in, the lower number due to many of the other players not coming in fear of the infinite possibility of the boss, the room lit up with torches and a eerie blue glow.

Then, the boss and its fifty-seven sentinels flashed into the room. When the light dissipated, every player widened their eyes in surprise. It was –

"Is that us?" A mirror of the players appeared, perfectly reflecting every player's current position. A few players moved forwards or waved, their counterparts mirroring their movements, like a mirror. One man laughed, pointing at his counterpart, his reflection doing the same. He charged up a **Sword Skill**, and then stopped it and began to laugh again. The reflection did not stop, however. Not like a mirror.

"AHHH!" The clearer screamed in pain as the reflection slashed him four times through the chest. Before a player could help him or give him support or **Health Potions**, he shattered into hundreds of blue polygons.

First death within the first minute of the boss battle.

Naruto caught something blurring into motion from the other side of the room. He pushed off the balls of his feet with a short burst of chakra and met the blur in a short clash of swords near the edge of the arena. Naruto glared at the doppelganger, his counterpart smirking in his face as he pressed harder against Naruto.

"Your opponent is me/**LET'S GET WILD!**" The two blondes said at the same time, one smirking and the other glaring with murderous intent.

_I'm not letting another person die! I need to end this quickly!_

However, the doppelganger pushed the real Naruto away in an extreme show of strength, making the original fly back. The Namikaze flipped backwards and skid a few feet, landing almost ten yards away from the boss **Naruto**. Naruto's glare increased as the boss's smirk widened.

"**Namikaze Naruto…I'll end you. My name is Uzumaki Naruto!**" Naruto's glare intensified against as he released Killing Intent, only to be neutralized by the smirking **Uzumaki**.

The Namikaze raised his **Solace in Darkness** until it was pressing lightly against his shoulder. The clone brought his sword down to his hip, his white sword shining white. As one, the two flashed forwards and met again in a clash of sparks.

Near the other end of the arena, Kirito was facing his counterpart with an apathetic face, the doppelganger sporting the same face.

"I would appreciate if you didn't copy me," they said at the same time. Both of them narrowed their eyes before they pointed their sword at each other.

"Hn…" they said again. Then, again in complete sync, they both sighed.

"Let's just fight," again in unison. The two got into the same stance and ran at each other before the original Kirito disappeared in a blur mid-step and reappeared behind his doppelganger, his sword already glowing.

"HAH!" He yelled in exertion as he slashed horizontally at the nape of the neck.

Asuna and Silica were standing side by side, the two facing against their counterparts together. Their other selves were wearing different clothes, as were all of the other reflections, but they were all the same level as the copied player. Asuna's and Silica's eyes narrowed as their copies pulled out a sword and a rapier, respectively.

'_Why are they using different weapons than we use?_' The two girls thought skeptically and in slight worry. A different weapon meant that they focused on different stats. This meant that –

_He has different stats than I do!_ Naruto thought. He was surprised by the sudden revelation as he fought against his smirking self. The boss **Naruto Uzumaki** was much slower than Naruto but much more skilled with the sword and also much stronger.

"Why do you have different stats than I do?" Naruto stated calmly when the two clashed again, their swords pressing against each other before the **Uzumaki** overpowered the Namikaze again. The original Naruto flipped back and landed on his feet, already preparing for another clash. The doppelganger raised his shining white blade above his head before charging forwards.

The two clashed blades again, meeting with their swords pressed against each other. The two leaned forwards until their hair was touching, their foreheads only a few inches away from each other. Naruto pressed harder, but the clone seemed to not even notice the increase in pressure.

"**My stats were directed towards different areas**. **So unlike you…I can use my chakra freely!**" Naruto widened his eyes before barely preventing himself from flying away, directing chakra into his arms to keep himself even against the doppelganger.

"**Oh?** **Then take THIS!**" Red bubbles seemed to grow from the body of the doppelganger, making a kind of cloak around the body. Naruto jumped back to create distance when a claw strike with the cloak surrounding the offending appendage flew near his face.

"What…the hell is that?" The clone's body began to become covered and more feral; the bubbles were transparent and had completely covered the clone, making the visage of a fox with a tail and two large ears. Instead of blue eyes staring at blue eyes, now one pair was crimson red with a slit down the middle.

The cloaked **Uzumaki's** feral grin widened until it threatened to crack his face. Naruto gulped, but kept his eyes on the boss. The whole transformation had only taken about three seconds, but something was different…completely different about the boss. A cold sweat ran down his neck as he stared at the transformed boss. Killing intent was literally spilling from the boss, distracting a few clearers from their battle against their own counterparts…resulting in a few of their deaths.

"Gaah!" The sounds of glass breaking echoed five times, indicating that five players had died. All the players turned at the sound. Naruto's eyes widened as his pupils became smaller, his mind kicking into overdrive. He turned again to the cloaked boss, his hand holding the hilt of his blade in a vice like grip.

"You're going down!" Naruto yelled as her burst forwards, charging with another **Sword Skill**. He was using **Sword Skills** rapidly, and his **Health Points** were quickly dropping as a result, but if he finished the battle quickly enough, then he should be safe. The fox-like **Uzumaki Naruto** didn't even move, just parrying the blow with a swipe of his blade.

"**Let's see what you can do…my incomplete other**," he said with a slightly demonic edge to his voice. Naruto pushed back and landed a few yards away, his mind going through multiple plans due to the sudden increase in **Strength** and **Agility **of the boss.

_He's now moving at almost the same speed as me…but his power just skyrocketed. What can I do?_

Naruto narrowed his eyes, his glare showing determination. He may better good as a battle planner and tactical fighter, but he was even better at making plans at the fly, making him in Kirito's words, "a battle genius."

Near the other end of the arena, Kirito was barely winning his fight against his counterpart, landing a few glancing blows to the body. However, none of his slashes had done any significant damage.

_Poison would be nice right about now…what can I do anything an opponent that knows all my tactics and has all of my skills? _

Kirito and his counterpart stared at each other, eyeing the other down for a few moments.

_Be unpredictable._

Kirito dashed forwards, the clone doing the same. Both of them raised their blades at the same time before Kirito vanished half-step, appearing to the side of the clone. The clones quickly shifted its blade to the side to defend itself. Right before Kirito's blade struck against metal, he vanished and appeared at the other side of the clone. It's eyes widened before it was slashed through the neck. The sound of glass breaking quickly followed, his opponent defeated. Kirito stared at the floating polygons before turning his head to quickly scrutinize the flow of battle.

It didn't look good. The reflection and clones had the numbers advantage; the five people down had gone to eight people within only three minutes. Kirito dashed in and took a few of them by surprise, slashing them across the back or neck, all of his attacks striking critical points. Again, the sounds of glass breaking accompanied the end of his **Sword Skill** as he twirled his blade to finish his **Sword Skill**.

_**Namikaze Sword Skill: Zantetsuken**__. Thank Kami Naruto taught me that technique before today._

The numbers were once again close to even, the clearers down by one compared to the clones. However, that would soon change with Kirito in the fray and his clone not there to stop him from rampaging and stomping through the clone players. He saw Naruto struggling against his counterpart, but the blonde would have to survive until Kirito had helped the oher players; he knew Naruto would survive until then. It didn't make sense why he would think so positively despite the fact that eight players had already died but…let's just call it a hunch.

Asuna and Silica were effectively tag teaming against the sword using **Asuna**, preventing the rapier using **Silica** from helping. They two had progressively become more and more aggressive as the battle continued until they were completely on the offensive, splitting the two apart so that they couldn't fight as a pair. This took away the extremely dangerous **Switch** that would turn the tide of battle with just one perfect action.

Silica slashed **Asuna** with her dagger, the black clothing now having a long, red, bright trail from the clone's neck to hip. The black cloaked **Asuna** gave out a wince and cry of pain before shattering into pixels.

"Good job!" Asuna cheered before turning her focus to the remaining **Silica**. Something that had helped a lot for the battle was the fact that not only were the enemies using different weapons, but also wearing different clothes, or at least a different color. Asuna was wearing a dark brown cloak with her hood down so that it was easier to differentiate between the hooded **Asuna** and herself for Silica. Silica herself had removed her pigtails, letting her hair flow down to her back.

Now, it would be much easier for the two to deal with the remaining player of the clone duo. Silica and Asuna prepared their **Sword Skills** as they charged, easily landing a hit and taking care of the clone, who quickly shattered into the blue polygons that flew into the air. With that done, they turned their attention to the other clearers that were struggling against their other selves.

Naruto twirled his sword twice behind his back before bending into position. Suddenly, he disappeared until he was right in front of the cloaked **Naruto** who didn't even seem fazed by the speed. The clone brought his sword in front of his body to parry the impending slash…but he completely missed.

Naruto disappeared again, only to reappear a few feet away, still moving forwards at unreal speeds. Taking advantage of the half-second that the clone was in shock and overextended, Naruto landed a clean slash that went straight completely through the body. It would have severed the upper body from the lower if the game mechanics did not prevent a majority of the body to be separated.

Naruto landed behind the boss and twirled his sword once more before placing it on his right shoulder. He turned his head and stared at the back of the clone.

_His __**Health Points **__are at 62%. He has a lot more __**Defense **__than before as well…meaning that the cloak is defending him but…_

Naruto turned his body around so that he was completely facing the back of his counterpart. He brought his sword up to prepare for another confrontation.

_... I can win this._

"**How?**" The clone creaked out, slightly affected by pain.

**XShuyaX**

(Flashback: A few seconds before)

_As Naruto flew backwards from the overpowered counter strike, he 'dropped' a __**Pebble**__ as he flew backwards. The small rock landed only a few feet from the opponent, the clone smirking sadistically and condescendingly, giving off an air of a superior. _

_Naruto ignored the taunting looks and charged forwards with his __**Sword Skill**__. Right before he was about to meet blades again –_

**Kawamiri no Jutsu**!

_Naruto switched places with the __**Pebble**__ and came from another angle, cleanly slicing through the body of his disturbing counterpart._

**XShuyaX**

(End Flashback)

Naruto did not respond and instead began charge, closing the distance within moments. When it was a matter of life and death, why should he tell his opponents his tactics or secrets?

However, before he could land a stab, thinking he was in the blind side of the boss, a sword clearly parried his strike, making his sword narrowly miss to the side. Before he could recover, a claw stabbed into his chest, then a punch to his neck, and then a massive kick to his side that sent him flying into a wall.

Naruto crashed harshly. His breath became labored as he panted quickly, trying to regain his lost breath from getting the air knocked out of him. He opened one of his eyes painfully as he glanced over at his **Health Points.**

_8%...Damn it…why am I so weak?_

His body fell to the floor and slumped to the ground, his body and face flush against the cool surface of the floor. Then, he got onto his elbows and forced himself to stand as he used three **Potions** from his **Quick Slot**. His mind became clearer and focused again and the pain slowly began to subside.

_I don't think he caught on yet…so let me try this again._

Naruto twirled his blade twice behind his back, preparing **Zantetsuken** once more. He dashed forwards, charging until he wss right in front of his enemy. Closing the distance of twenty meters within a second, he was in mid-slash, the edge of his blade almost about to touch the defending white sword of the cloaked **Naruto**. Once again, our blonde protagonist disappeared, strangely appearing behind the boss and completing his **Sword Skill**, completely slashing straight through the body again, cutting through the exact same location.

_**Kawamiri no Jutsu**__. _

Naruto twirled his sword once more before placing it on his shoulder, ending his frozen period and **Sword Skill**. Taking a quick glance, he was pleased to notice that Kirito, Asuna, and Silica had already defeated their counterparts and were helping the rest of the clearers.

_Good…they can do the rest. Now…_

Naruto turned around to face the boss once more, bending his knees into position.

"It's just you and me, "better me". **Naruto** seemed to snarl, his facial features scrunching up I n irritation and anger. Then, he screamed in rage, thrashing his body around, his tails twitching until a second one came out. Again, it was made out of bubbles, but the cloak seemed to become more solid.

_OK, this is getting ridiculous! What the hell is going on?_

Naruto quickly glanced at the health of the boss. 24%. He quickly judged that it was an automatic response when the boss went under a quarter of its health. The boss dropped its white sword, the blade clattering on the floor. Naruto narrowed his eyes, eyeing every motion of the boss. It roared again, gaining the attention of many players by surprise, before it dropped onto all fours, the whiskers on its cheeks becoming even more defined.

"**Kill…kill…KILL!**" It screamed out. Naruto immediately went on guard. This other him wasn't even a person anymore. He would never lose himself like that; whatever that strange red energy cloak was making the other self lose him mind and self control.

Suddenly, it disappeared. Naruto's eyes widened, barely catching a trace of movement to his right before getting a shocking punch to his jaw, sending him flying across the arena. Flying through the group of clearers and in the midst of battle, he was just a flying blur before he crashed onto the wall.

_What the hell! I'm down to 14% health in just one hit! What's going on?!_

Naruto dropped to the ground, landing on his feet shakily. He tiredly opened his eyes and raised his head, exhaustion once again starting to kick in. The blonde placed his sword on the floor, using it like a cane to push himself up properly.

"**Kill…kill…I will kill you all! You killed them all!**" The boss…no demon screamed out. It vanished again before reappearing near the end of the arena where there was no one near. Suddenly, ten clearers screamed out before shattering into pixels, their pained and hopeless faces forever etched into the memory of Naruto and the other clearers.

"NOOOO!" Asuna screamed out. Naruto whipped his head to the sound of her yell, despite his muscles screaming for him to stop moving. His chakra was running low…any more strenuous or intensive movement would be dangerous. He opened his **Quick Slot** and took out three more **Potions** before popping them to regain his **Health** that was currently in the red. It rose up to eighty-four percent, bringing him back to the green zone, although the chakra fatigue wasn't going away any time soon. It was lower than twenty percent; every use of **Zantetsuken** took almost twenty percent.

"Don't do it, Asuna!" However, it was too late. She charged at the boss, her rapier glowing green. If she stopped now, she would be completely vulnerable against the boss…but even with the **Sword Skill**, it wouldn't be enough. The final remaining enemy turned its head and zoned in on the girl with chestnut hair charging at him, her weapon glowing an eerie green.

Before Asuna could even register any kind of movement, a claw gripped her face with a vice-like grip. She slammed into the ground with no hesitation from her attacker; the counter attack was completely ruthless.

"Asuna!" Kirito and Silica yelled. Naruto saw it, but he was still healing. He hated the fact that he couldn't do anything right now…so for now, he would have to rely on Kirito and Silica. The rest of the clearers were in too much shock by the power of the final enemy, the boss, that they were visibly trembling in their boots.

Kirito charged in first with his speed, circling the boss and creating after images of himself before coming into close quarters. Right before he slashed, he jumped backwards, narrowly dodging one of the whipping tails. While in midair, he glanced at Asuna, who was still on the floor with a claw over her face. Her **HP** was in the red, and it was going lower from the grip, if her pale features were any sign to go by.

Silica immediately switched in for Kirito, taking advantage of the short time that the fox like boss would be surprised by the switch. However, its danger senses must have been ringing in its head beforehand, and with animalistic violence, its other tail whipped Silica, making her crash to the ground. Before she could get back up, the monster stepped on her harshly, making the girl scream in pain.

_Asuna-chan! Silica-chan!_

Kirito glared at the boss with as much hatred as he could muster, but inwardly, he was worried. There wasn't much he could currently do, especially not against something of this magnitude. If Naruto or maybe if the clearers would help, they would be able to do something against the boss but…every second that passed was another second that Asuna and Silica were closer to death. Knowing that no other player would help, Kirito made up his mind and steeled his resolve.

The black haired swordsman twirled his blade twice before sprinting, closing the distance between himself and the boss within the blink of an eye, a trail of dust picking up behind him. When Kirito was in front of the boss, the red cloaked fox-like clone let go of the two girls on the floor and was about to bring its hands up to claw at Kirito before –

"**DYNAMIC ENTRY!**" Naruto flew into the fray and dropkicked the boss on the neck, sending the boss flying away. Naruto landed on the ground but immediately fell to his knees.

_Damn it! I'm getting really low on chakra…seventeen percent left. Stupid chakra exhaustion. But…I think I won this. If my analysis and calculation were correct then…I'll win this fight._

With a large heave and sigh, Naruto righted himself back up. Kirito immediately ran over to the two injured girls and healed them with **Potions**. Naruto remained still; he continued to glare at where had kicked the boss because he knew that it wasn't done yet. The blonde turned his head to the side. Many of the clearers had run out of the entrance in fear. Not a single person remained; they had all run out when they had seen **The Flash** and Silica get crushed by the animalistic boss. Watching their strongest player, **The Duelist**, or better known now as **The Dark Flash**, even get crushed was a huge blow to their confidence.

_Better for me. The less people that see this, the better._

Naruto let out another deep sigh before bringing his concentration to the highest, releasing a torrent of Killing Intent to the now standing boss.

_I only need two seconds._ _The boss activated that form for about a minute and twenty three seconds. Just give me two seconds._

Suddenly, the boss exploded forwards and flew towards Naruto. Naruto grit his teeth in determination. He couldn't move or else Kirito and the girls would be in danger since they were right behind him by a few feet. Naruto fell into his stance and charge chakra throughout his whole body. A soft, blue glow emanated from every inch of his body, the now visible chakra whisking around in the air lightly.

The boss clashed against Naruto's blade. Even with the ridiculous momentum and much higher **Strength** stats from the boss, Naruto held firm in place, pressing his blade harder with his body weight when he felt the boss pushing against him.

_Just one more second!_

After another half second of struggling and holding the immeasurably strong boss in place, Naruto suddenly ducked, making his other self to lose balance. The blonde spun on the balls of his feet, spinning as quickly as possible, his body beginning to glow white. Eight blades appeared in between the spaces on his fingers, each of them beginning to glow white as well.

_NOW! TAKE THIS! __**ORIGINAL SKILL: CIRCLE SWORDS**__!_

Right at that moment, the chakra coating the two, Naruto and the clone alike, disappeared, making the two to revert back to their original forms. The boss was now without any enhanced features and defense; there was no way it would survive the next attack with only six percent of its health.

Naruto began to spin quickly, his white jacket flapping at his sides. His swords spun in a wild manner, becoming nothing but a deadly vortex of spinning blades. The moment the first sword scratched at the skin of the last remaining boss, it was over. The small vortex of blades only moved closer, its rapidly spinning edges making it impossible to block. Naruto continued to spin, his body glowing white every other second, indicating the use of the **Sword Skill** **Horizontal** on himself. The blades continued to dig into the opponent's skin, now doing a whole foot deep, now going completely through the body.

After three more seconds, Naruto stopped his spinning, his blades all disappearing into his **Inventory** except his **Solace in Darkness**. Naruto remained still, staring up at the bright lights on the ceiling, swaying on his feet before suddenly crashing to the floor.

_Hehe, I was right…even with different stats, the boss had a limit to how much chakra he could use. By calculating the amount of strength, speed, defense, and apparent chakra the boss had, I was able to guess how long it would last. After all…the boss was still under the same requirements and restrictions as me. Haha…but…why is it so bright?_

"NARUTO!" Kirito, Asuna, and Silica screamed out in panic. The three ran up to him immediately. Asuna and Silica paled at the sight of the amount of **Health Points** Naruto had left; for some reason, it was less than a hundred, and it was steadily dropping. Kirito's face blanched the most, his face becoming paler and paler. He knew what was happening. Quickly eyeing the amount of mana, or chakra, that Naruto had, his worry and panic only increased. Kirito pulled out a **Potion **and immediately broke it to heal Naruto. The blonde's health began to rise, but Kirito's worry and nervousness had not disappeared. Naruto's warning continued to ring through his head.

"_Chakra is the mixture between physical energy and the user's life force. If I get careless and use too much of my energy…I'll die." Naruto said to Kirito in a deadly serious tone._

_I won't let him die. Naruto, hurry up and get chakra. Hurry up!_

Kirito turned to Asuna and Silica. Both of them seemed relieved, but Kirito's next words immediately brought them back to worrying for their close spiky haired blonde friend who was still on the floor, unconscious.

"Give me all of your **Potions**! Naruto's **Health Points** will continue to drop until he gains at least one point of his energy!" The girls immediately responded by taking out all of their **Potions** from their respective **Inventories** and **Quick Slots**. Naruto was precious to them both as well. His quirks, his attitudes, his friendliness, his caring attitude, his stupidity at times, and his love for ramen…all of the small details began to play through all of their heads.

'_Come on, Naruto! You're still my closest friend, even if this is just a game. Remember what you said to me on the __**Second Floor**__! Make it through, Naruto!' _Kirito screamed in his mind, his panic clearly showing through his current actions. His hands trembled as he opened every **Potion**, his worry increasing as the number of healing crystals dropped one by one until there were only a few left.

'_I don't know what going on, but you better live, Naruto! If you don't I'll make you come back alive and kill you myself!'_ Asuna was visibly shaking as she handed each **Potion** to Kirito. However, even with the use of each **Potion**, Naruto's **Health Points** never went above five hundred, and it was consistenly dropping.

Silica was just staring at Naruto. His body was face up, his face looked beat up and dirty. However, for some reason, a small smirk seemed to be in place, as if he were content. The rest of his body seemed to have no strength. Suddenly, the implications of Naruto dying hit Silica.

'_You can't die, Naruto-kun! I haven't caught up to you yet! We aren't home yet! You said you wouldn't die, and you promised that to me when we were breaking up our party for the first time! You SAID that you NEVER broke your promises, so wake up! Wake up! Wake up, Naruto!'_

Tears began to well up in Silica's eyes as she began to remember how she first met Naruto when he had helped her from those two strange boys in the alley. Then, how they had grouped up together and had become strangely acquainted. His quirks and how he gave her a speech on how ramen was the greatest food in the world. How he had given his friendship to her without a care and had become close to her during their quests together. How he patted her head, as if praising her, comforting her, or just teasing her. How he had warned her to take care of herself, even if his speech was directed at her with clear anger. If Naruto could survive, she would let him yell about how Kami's gift was ramen without berating him. Silica's tears began to drip on the floor, the salty drops of water pouring down her face.

More memories began to play through her head. The time when Naruto had told her a story about him beating Kirito over and over in chess. How they had gone to celebrate her birthday two days after it had past, even making Kirito to sing with some enthusiasm.

'_Please…I just want you to reassure me that you're still alive…Kami…I would let him pat my head every day if he were alive without saying a word, even if it embarrasses me. I would – _

Silica's thoughts stopped. She raised her head slowly, looking at the blonde on the floor, his figure still droopy and worn out. However, one thing was different. His arm was off of the ground and…his hand was patting her head, rubbing against her hair slowly and tiredly. The blonde cracked open one eye slowly and looked over to Silica on his back, seeing her upside down.

"Maa maa, Silica-chan…it's not good for such a pretty girl to cry, you know? And I told you…I don't break my promises…"

Silica looked up slowly, seeing his arm going above her head. She looked back down at Naruto, her tears still running down her face. Then, she closed her eyes and threw herself at Naruto on the floor, crying even harder against him as he continued to pat her head and tease her lightly.

Kirito eyed Naruto's energy bar below the blonde's **Health Bar**; it had one point of chakra. Then, he sighed in relief as he leaned back and sat down, emotionally, physically, and mentally exhausted. Asuna sat down next to him, some tears dripping off of her chin as well. The two stayed silent, content to remain that way as they watched their two friends on the floor. Naruto had sat up and was trying to apologize to Silica for making her worry while the somewhat short girl was yelling at him. However, if anyone had looked past the loud screaming and yelling of the young girl, they would have seen the wide smile of the girl as she berated her favorite blonde.

**XShuyaX**

(Location: Inside Mindscape)

"…"

Droplets of water began to fall from the invisible ceiling. Naruto looked up from his meditative position and stared up. Then, he smirked.

"Looks like I'll be seeing him sooner than I thought, 'ttebayo."

**Chapter End**

**A/N: I KNEW MY FRIEND TROLLED ME! HE PUT IN MULTIPLE CHANGES, ADDING IN UNNECESSARY HUMAN ANATOMY...and I missed on change.**

**My God…what a monster this chapter was to type. I know I said that I would take a while…but I finished this a lot earlier than I was expecting. Hopefully this is good…but I don't know. When I read it again, I'll probably be screaming at myself saying "what is this crap?" or something.**

**I'm going copy someone right now, so here goes.**

"**Please leave me nice and long reviews." Oh yea, don't flame. Criticizing is cool, flaming is not. I really don't like that red ember stuff flying across my laptop screen; it just isn't cool or fun to watch.**

**Warning: I will most likely not update anything on Fanfiction…for about the next six weeks. Don't expect updates any time soon, but I'll try and do some stuff during that time period…like think of what I'm going to do next. Reason? Typical Asian stuff: Study like an idiot. **

**So for those who saw banned, I'm not banned. That was just bad choice of wording (diction...stupid SAT) on my part.**


End file.
